Top 8 Music of 2008

I always have trouble ranking music. That's why, even though I really love music, I detest making ranked list such as this. There's always so many great albums to choose from, and I don't want to leave any behind. But, alas, I'm a slave to my top [insert number here] music of [insert year here] format. So this year I can only list 8 albums and here they are:

1. Dear Science 9.5
Artist: TV On The Radio
Making this list was hard. But ranking Dear Science was a no brainer at all. I fell in love with this album from the moment I heard it. This album is the grooviest and most accessible art rock ever recorded.


2. obZen 9.5
Artist: Meshuggah
This is heaviest album I've heard in 2008. An all out metal attack dense with guitar riff barrages and thundering drum works. The song structures in here are so tight there's no respite from headbanging.


3. Chemistry of Common Life 9.3
Artist: Fucked Up
I was stunned the first time I heard this album. The singer has all the grit of a hardcore vocalist. But his vocals is imposed with female vocals and droning guitars. The resulting contrast is just so good to listen to.


4. The Bedlam in Goliath 9.2 [Review]
Artist: The Mars Volta
I'm a big fan of The Mars Volta. However, their last album made me think they've gone mad. Fortunately, they bounced back with The Bedlam in Goliath. Which is their most streamlined album to date.


5. The Hawk Is Howling 9.2
Artist: Mogwai
I love all works made by Mogwai. But this album is probably their best, and currently my favorite. There are a variety of soundscapes in here, ranging from harsh to delicate, but all are beautiful and awe-inspiring.


6. Traced In Air 9.0
Artist: Cynic
This album is the biggest surprise for me this year. I never would've thought that Cynic, a great band that went defunct in the mid 90's, will one day return with this highly technical progressive metal album.


7. Third Transmission 8.8
Artist: Experimental Aircraft
I love listening to this album. The sound of lazy, dreamy vocals and layers of sonic guitar noise makes this really cool and serene music. It's perfect if you just want to chill out or just stare blankly at the wall.


8. Flight of the Conchords 8.8 [Review]
Artist: Flight of the Conchords
It's hard to make serious music that is funny. But Flight of the Conchords managed that. Their self-titled album covers a variety of music, from rap to electronica, and all of the songs here are filled with humor.

I'm finally done with this list, and it's been hell to make it. But I'm grateful though because I found out I can still track new and cool music. Which means I'm not that old yet. So what about you guys. What are the albums that became your soundtrack for 2008?

My other top 8 of 2008:
Top 8 Games of 2008
Top 8 Books of 2008
Top 8 Films of 2008

Similar Posts:
Top 7 Games of 2007
Top 7 Music of 2007
Top 7 Films of 2007
The Best 6 of 2006

Top 8 Films of 2008

Film wasn't that good for me this year if compared to the last. But that's probably because I'm still looking for the magic Once delivered last year, or the dark humor of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. That and I didn't had time to go to the movies. So I hope I'll be able to see a lot of films this year.

My top 8 films of 2008:

1. Slumdog Millionaire 9.2 [Review]
The best movie I've seen this year. It's just teeming with life, action, comedy and romance. The story is about Jamal, a call center coffee server, who joined the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. What I liked about this film is how the story was told. It was presented in a series of flashbacks, explaining how Jamal knew the answers to each of the game's questions.


2. The Dark Knight 9.0 [Review]
I thought this movie was going to take my "film of the year" award this 2008. But it just can't hold a candle against Slumdog Millionaire. Nonetheless, it is still an excellent film, and the greatest comics-to-film ever made because it's not campy. In fact, if you can just get past the bat suit and the raspy voice, it's a crime/action film in epic proportions.


3. Wall-E 9.0
I didn't really expect much of Wall-E when I saw the trailer. I thought it was only going to be a very entertaining and cutesy Disney movie. But it turned out to be a dystopian/post-apocalyptic movie, a much darker and grittier than I expected it to be. While it is entertaining, indeed, it also carries a very important message of how we waste our lives (guilty) and making a lot of waste.


4. Milk 8.9 [Review]
This film is based on the true to life story of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist and the first openly gay elected to become a public servant in the state of California. I really liked the story of this film, which is about individuality and having the freedom to express that individuality. The actors here also did great. Especially Sean Penn and Emile Hirsche.



5. Iron Man 8.8 [Review]
Next to Nolan's Batman, Iron Man is another example of a comics-to-film done right. I really enjoyed this movie because it stayed loyal to the comics, especially by sticking to Iron Man's origins. On top of that, the plot is also exemplary and there's no dragging parts throughout the film. It is also backed by great actors. Robert Downey Jr., especially, was seem to be born to play Tony Stark.


6. Let The Right One In 8.8
This film is about a lonely twelve year old boy who meets and befriends a lonely twelve year old vampire girl. Although the synopsis may sound like a fantastical movie intended for young adults, trust me, it's not. It's a sad vampire story with a lot of realism. It even focuses on the weaker side of vampires. No secret societies, just a girl who wants no friends because they'll just out grow her.


7. Mongol 8.5
I like historical films, and Mongol is no exception. This movie tells the tale of Temujin, who grows up and conquers the world as Genghis Khan. It's an epic movie and it's already been dubbed as the Braveheart of Far East. Like Braveheart, however, it's not historically accurate. But I still like film's revision of Temujin, who was presented as a gentle soul and an honorable warrior.


8. Kung-Fu Panda 8.5
I didn't watch Kung-Fu Panda in theaters because I thought it was too cliched. I bought the Blu-ray disc, however, but only because it was cheap and I needed it to test my new player. Surprisingly, this was a great movie. It's funny and packed with swift moving fight scenes. I also found out that the cliche was part of the story too. Since it was all about breaking the stereotypes.


These were my favorite films of 2008. I know I missed a lot of good films so I wonder which movies made it into your list.

My other top 8 of 2008:
Top 8 Games of 2008
Top 8 Books of 2008
Top 8 Music of 2008

Similar Posts:
Top 7 Games of 2007
Top 7 Music of 2007
Top 7 Films of 2007
The Best 6 of 2006

Top 8 Games of 2008

Games have always been my favorite "top of the year" list. Although, this was a bit of a lackluster for the PC. Yeah, we got great games. But they're mostly multi-platformed. Where are our PC exclusive games? Where are the real-time strategy games? Not a lot of those were released this year. It's a good thing I got a Nintendo DS to save the year.

So, anyways, let me present you my top 8 games of 2008:

1. The World Ends With You 9.0 [First Impressions]
As an ardent PC gamer, I never thought that I'd award a DS game as my game of the year. But this game has won my heart with its graffiti-styled graphics, urban setting, cool story and innovative features that made it so unique. Truly the best game for me this year.

2. Sins of a Solar Empire 9.0
At first, I was a skeptical about this game. Especially when I saw the fighting words "Real-Time Strategy. Unrivaled Scale" plastered on its box. But they weren't lying about it. Stardock took the elements of 4x strategy, combined it with the speed of RTS games, and gave us a complex strategy game. Its learning curve is so high it took me a day to figure out everything.


3. Fallout 3 8.9 [Review]
I always thought that Fallout 3 will knock Fallout 2 off of my "#1 game of all times" pedestal. But I was wrong. I didn't expect the fall of Black Isle Studios, and that Bethesda will continue the franchise. But, nonetheless, even though Bethesda didn't make Fallout 3 the way I wanted it to be they still delivered one heck of a post-apocalyptic game.


4. Mass Effect 8.8 [Review]
I was going to boycott BioWare prodcuts this year because of the lack of Dragon Age updates. But it's a good thing I didn't because I would've missed the adrenaline-pumped combat of this great sci-fi game. While this game doesn't scale up to other BioWare titles, like Knights of the Old Republic and Baldur's Gate, it has done remarkably well as their [BioWare] first intellectual property.


5. Disgaea DS 8.8
I only got this game because a friend of mine is a big fan of the franchise. But he was right to love this game. Everything in here is just great. Beautiful voice acting, neat graphics (even for the DS), sterling storyline and a gameplay that offers a lot of possibilities.

6. Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir 8.6
When Storm of Zehir was announced a couple months ago, I was so ecstatic when I learned that you can create a party of four instead of just one character. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. The game also have a map exploration, a cool trade simulation mini game, and the skills are finally at play in here. If only the storyline was as good as Mask of the Betrayer's this game would've been perfect.


7. Advance Wars: Days of Ruins 8.5 [Review]
Days of Ruins is one of the best turn-based strategy games I've played. The combination of a great AI and well-designed, well-balanced units makes up the amazing gameplay. Once you got this game started, you'll have a hard time putting it down.

8. King's Bounty: Legend 8.4 [First Impressions]
I've only played this game for a couple of days but, man, I'm already hooked. For the most part, the game has all the fun of Heroes and Might and Magic. The exploration, the loot finding, and the turn-based combat. But it doesn't have the annoying features, like capturing or defending a base. All you do here is adventure, do some quests, find loots and raise an army.


So these were the games that made 2008 a great year for me. I know it's not much but it's still much better comapred to 2003. How about you? What were your favorite games in 2008?

My other top 8 of 2008:
Top 8 Books of 2008
Top 8 Music of 2008
Top 8 Films of 2008

Similar Posts:
Top 7 Games of 2007
Top 7 Music of 2007
Top 7 Films of 2007
The Best 6 of 2006

Top 8 Books of 2008

I've never done a year-end list of books before. That's because I didn't had time to read, and even if I had it's usually the ones that were released in previous years. But this year, I've made some time and effort reading and buying books that were currently released. Although, I think, I still haven't read as many books as I should have (only 11 books). Hopefully, I'll be able to do more next year.

Anyways, here are my top 8 books of 2008:

1.Liberation 9.5 [Review]
Writer: Brian F. Slattery
This is the best, and most important, book I've read this year. While the book is alive with music and humor, you won't find yourself dancing and laughing because the author's vision of a financially ruined United States is real enough to be scary. The appropriate book for our current financial crisis.


2. The Hunger Games 9.3
Writer: Suzanne Collins
I haven't finished a book in just one sitting since Kushiel's Dart. But I finished this book in just over eight hours. That's because the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, enthralled me with her hunter's snares since page one. I definitely recommend this book, especially if you're tired reading about orphan boy heroes.


3. Shadow of the Silk Road 9.3 [Review]
Writer: Colin Thubron
This travel book, about the current state of the Silk Road, is just so full of adventure. It's so fluidly written and covers a wide range of topics. From it, I've picked up bits and pieces of knowledge about history, religion, politics and culture in many parts of Asia, Central Asia and the Middle-East.


4.The Graveyard Book 8.9 [Review]
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Probably the best modern fantasy I've read this year. The Graveyard Book, a story of a boy who were raised by ghosts, is a twisted version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. But despite its horrifying theme it's actually a pleasant read. It even reminds me that magic can be found anywhere and at anytime.


5. The Ten-Cent Plague 8.8 [Review]
Writer: David Hajdu
As a comic-book aficionado, I've never really known much about the history of comics before. But everything changed after I've read this well documented book. Now I know a little more about the funny books. From its humble inception, as to why it was vilified by the public, and to its eventual censorship.


6. The Stone Goods 8.7
Writer: Jeanette Winterson
This is a great sci-fi book but also a thought provoking read. A story about a repeating world, it started out as a satire about the future -an over exaggeration of our present- and abruptly dives into metaphysical and spiritual philosophies that will spin your head and make you question human nature.


7. Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good 8.7
Writer: Sara Lacy
I liked reading this book. It documents the struggle and the inspiring billion dollar success of young men, such as Max Levchin (founder of PayPal) and Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook), responsible for the rise of Web 2.0, the only reason why the internet is still an interesting place.


8. Personal Days 8.5
Writer: Ed Park
This is a fun book filled with cliched, but quirky, characters. It tells the story of office workers who stay in mediocrity just to avoid being laid off. An apt book especially in these times of rising unemployment. It might even help those who got laid off at their jobs by reminding them that work sucks.


So these were the books that I enjoyed reading from yesteryear. So what are your favorite books from last year?

My other top 8 of 2008:
Top 8 Games of 2008
Top 8 Music of 2008
Top 8 Films of 2008

Similar Posts:
Top 7 Games of 2007
Top 7 Music of 2007
Top 7 Films of 2007
The Best 6 of 2006