And so, with the sound of the economy self-destructing in the background, 2008 lumbers from our calendars and into the annals of history, taking with it the election of the first black US president, Robert Mugabe stealing another election in Zimbabwe, Heath Ledger dying, China hosting the Olympics, frozen water found on Mars, a leap second added to the clocks, and Guns 'n Roses releasing Chinese Democracy. What a year! Luckily for you, Scene Point Blank is on hand to deconstruct the year into an easily-digestible list format. Read on for our take on the events, records, TV, shows and trends that shaped our 2008.
ARTICLE JUMP
Each year it seems there is more and more music released than the year that precedes it. 2008 had an immense number of recordings that we loved, but unfortunately time restricted us from giving some of those albums the coverage that they deserved. Here are some of our favorites that we forgot to tackle.
- Meshuggah - obZen (Nuclear Blast)
- The Black Keys - Attack & Release (Nonesuch)
- Boris - Smile (Southern Lord)
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (Anti)
- Sabertooth Zombie - Dent Face (Twelve Gauge)
It's been a hard wait for Meshuggah's new full-length following 2005's Catch Thirty-Three. While the band's most recent albums laced their technical metal wizardry with ambient soundscapes, obZen is a truly destructive album from start to finish. With this album Meshuggah continue to cement themselves as one of the most thrilling metal bands ever, creeping ever closer to eclipsing the greatest of the great - Slayer.
The Akron, OH duo The Black Keys offer up their fifth recording with Attack & Release. The duo teamed up with Danger Mouse to produce the album this time around. The Black Keys continue to mix blues, guitar rock, and indie sounds together in a sound that delights everyone, whether you normally listen to metal and hardcore or indie and pop music. Great music has no boundaries.
This Japanese trio released a tantalizing display of metal, doom, sludge, whatever you want to call it, with Smile. The eight tracks that comprise this album fuse together a plethora of influences ranging from Black Sabbath, The Melvins, Black Flag, and Sunn 0))). It would have been a delight to see the faces of the crowd as they opened for Nine Inch Nails...
Nick Cave has been a mainstay in the underground music world for over three decades now, beginning with his work in The Birthday Party up through his current and long-running material with The Bad Seeds. Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! is his latest full-length with the group and continues to exhibit his intense storytelling and lyrical skills while being backed with an intriguing mixture of rock, folk, and punk.
Dent Face is the latest offering from Sabertooth Zombie, their first 7" affair they've released on their lonesome. These seven tracks clock in at just less than fifteen minutes. On these tracks you get aggressive early 80's inspired-hardcore accented with a bit of thrash and metal, all fueled by some of the best lyrics ever. We're itching for a new full-length in 2009, so get on it dudes!
(Michael)
