The 50 Best Albums of 2008: Nos. 50 to 26

Dec. 31, 2008 — -- You wouldn't know it by listening to most commercial radio, but it was an excellent year for music. In fact, this list was very difficult to narrow down. Many excellent albums from this year still didn't make the cut, but here is a list of my picks for the best albums of 2008.

First up: Nos. 50 to 26 -- check back later this week for the top 25 albums of the year.

For many, it's a small miracle that this album was even finally released, but it's a complete and welcome surprise that it isn't an over-cooked mess. Sure, old fans may gripe that this isn't a true GNR album since Axl Rose is the only original member, but get over it. The modern electronic flourishes may also intimidate and upset some. In all, however, "Chinese Democracy" plays like a continuation of the band's old sound. Songs like "Better" and "Catcher In The Rye" hold up next to the other GNR classics. The truth is, so much hype was built around this album that it can't please everyone. (It's the "Star Wars" effect, if you will.) If you don't like it immediately, give it the time and spins it deserves. Think of it as a long-delayed "Use Your Illusion III."Read my original review.

Favorite Tracks
"Better"
"Catcher In The Rye"
"Scraped"
"Chinese Democracy"

This is a double-disc collection from the singer-songwriter. The first disc is mellow and delicate with a more atmospheric feel, while the second is a harder-edged, darker affair. Together both discs only add up to about 70 minutes or so, so my guess is that the disc division is due to the different moods of the material. In any case, this album is a good introduction to Rachael Yamagata, who is most famous for her 2004 single "Worn Me Down." Here, her voice is smooth as she tackles a vast range of stylistic ground. She's a star waiting for her big crossover move.

Favorite Tracks
"What If I Leave"
"Accident"
"Duet" (with Ray LaMontagne)
"Faster"
"Elephants"
"Sunday Afternoon"

Released back on Jan. 8, this is the oldest record on the list. It's also Sia's second solo album to see a wide U.S. release. The sometime Zero 7 vocalist branches out and expands from her last album "Colour the Small One." While that album mined the same chilled coffee-house terrain as her band, this album is more adventurous. The single, "Buttons" (here as a hidden track) is straight-up, slinky-sounding pop, while "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" boasts a classic soul vibe. The Beck-assisted "Academia" is like a cleverly twisted, haunted mathematical nursery-rhyme. Elsewhere, she delivers an incredible, morose and moving cover of the Kinks' "I Go to Sleep." It is for all of these reasons and more that Sia is a singer worthy of your attention. Read my original review.

Favorite Tracks
"Buttons"
"The Girl You Lost to Cocaine"
"Day Too Soon"
"I Go to Sleep"
"Academia" (with Beck)
"Little Black Sandals"

"Harps and Angels" finds Randy Newman is in a grumpier mood than ever. His tongue is still sharp, his trademark wit is still intact and he's still not afraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way. Whether he's discussing death, politics, immigration or "kids today," he gives his listeners his unique perspective. On warmer, softer numbers like the not-so-new, frequently-covered "Feels Like Home" and fresher "Losing You," he proves he can still be touching as well. There have always been two sides to Randy Newman. Sometimes he's a biting social critic and sometimes he's a sweet songsmith. "Harps and Angels" finds him more in the former category, but it also shows that both sides are still very much alive and kicking. He's still one of our smartest songwriters. No doubt, this album gives its listeners a great deal to contemplate. Read my original review.

Favorite Tracks
"A Few Words In Defense of Our Country"
"Harps and Angels"
"Laugh and Be Happy"
"Feels Like Home"
"Losing You"

Brian Eno had a pretty amazing year. Not only did he help produce the latest album by a band called Coldplay (perhaps you may know them) but he also got back together with one of his most-valued collaborators, David Byrne. Back when Byrne was leading the Talking Heads, Eno helmed some of that band's most challenging work. "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" is the duo's second proper record together under their own names following the 1981 album "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts." While that record was a strange whirlwind of beats and sounds, this record is happy and pop-driven while still remaining somewhat surreal. It's not without its odd detours (see "Wanted for Life" and "I Feel My Stuff") but it still for the most part sits comfortably in a pop universe. It's very reminiscent of later-period Talking Heads records. Simply put, this is the work of two musical geniuses coming together to create something unique and innovative yet still comfortably familiar. The end result is oddly uplifting.

Favorite Tracks
"Life Is Long"
"One Fine Day"
"Strange Overtones"
"Wanted for Life"
"Home"

Do you remember the mid-'80s? Imagine if the soundtrack to an '80s teen movie was reworked today by the acts on the "Lost in Translation" soundtrack. Somehow, the French electronic group M83 have found a balance between these two worlds. "Saturdays = Youth" is simultaneously retro and unbelievably fresh and hip. Everything goes in cycles and so everything old is once again new. The record simultaneously recalls Kate Bush, Air, My Bloody Valentine, the Cocteau Twins and "Disintegration"-era Cure. In exploring the past, M83 mastermind Anthony Gonzalez has created his best work to date.