Top Albums of 2008

[Josh]

Criticism and chronic listmaking seem to go hand and hand; we reviewers tend to jump at any excuse we can get to rank our top ten of pretty much anything. A couple of weeks ago, at the old blog, I posted a list of my ten favorite records of the year so far; but since I’ve moved to this locale; since it’s now July 1st, and we are officially halfway through with 2008; and since my friends David Kennedy and Jeffrey Overstreet have recently turned in halfway-point top ten lists of their own– it seems like a good time to do it again.

But actually, I have still another, even more significant reason for reposting this. This is the time of the year when I tend to gain some clarity and perspective on those albums released in the earlier months, which can sometimes lead to some major altertions in my picks. There are always a few albums that I deeply appreciate for their artistry, their vision, and their technical skill, but, for whatever reason, they don’t quite sink their teeth into me on a gut level. They don’t come to mean anything to me personally, and so, while I still regard them as superlative recordings, they’re just not finding much space in my regular rotation. I’d put the new Fleet Foxes and Portishead both into this category. Likewise, there are meaningful works of art that simply don’t move me because of where my own life happens to be. I don’t think poorly of these albums at all; they simply didn’t come along at the right time to become personal favorites for me– think Sam Phillips and Tift Merritt.

So, all that to say… these are the ten albums that I find myself coming back to, again and again, playing over and over. They entertain me, they move me, they give me perspective. They’re all strong contenders for my end-of-the-year list, and they’re all albums that aren’t just great, but meaningful to me personally.

1. The Tallest Man on Earth, Shallow Grave
(A Swedish man gets to the heart of American music better than any yank has in years.)

2. Ron Sexsmith, Exit Strategy of the Soul
(Review coming soon!)

3. Joan as Police Woman, To Survive
(Review coming soon!)

4. Marco Benevento, Invisible Baby
(Is it jazz? Classical? Pop? Yes, no, all and none of the above.)

5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!
(The apocalyptic court jester of rock digs deep for a riotous album about sex, religion, growing old, and the end of the world.)

6. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive
(Review coming soon!)

7. Coldplay, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
(Chris Martin and Co. make good on their promise– finally!– with an album that’s expertly crafted and often thrilling.)

8. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
(Southern rock meets Prince? Must be heard to be believed)

9. Barry Adamson, Back to the Cat
(Through the gates of hell and down to the beaten side of town.)

10. Shearwater, Rook
(Fables and fairy tales from rock’s most graceful ornithologist.)

Anyone else?

[Aaron]

(Clarification..our favorite..or what we think is best?)

If we're talking about favorite

Not sure what order to put them in yet but...


My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Sun Kil Moon - April
Deepspace5 - Bakesale
DeVotchKa - A Mad & Faithful Telling
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I Have Feelings Too
Justin McRoberts - Deconstruction
Gavin DeGraw - Gavin DeGraw
Sleepercar - West Texas


There are probably others but my music journal is in major need of a massive edit so I might change this later.

[murlough23]

(What? You mean Josh doesn't have clarity and perspective at all times of year?)

Here's what I've got sitting in my Top 10 at this exact moment - my personal favorites and critical favorites are one in the same.

1. Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV - Air & Earth
Experimental, sometimes edgy, always atmospheric rock on the first disc, and stripped down folk/rock on the second, showing two more facets of this versatile band, who perhaps sounds better outside of their default "hard rock" mode. But this would all be a purely academic exercise if the songwriting didn't cut to the heart, and for me, it does.

2. The Myriad - With Arrows, with Poise
Simply a solid example of artistic craftsmanship within the bounds of hook-laden, techno-savvy modern rock. Not a weak track to be found here.

3. Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Yeah. What Josh said.

4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Absolutely gorgeous, and somewhat eclectic, blend of folk and soft rock traditions that easily sounds like it could have been recorded in the 70's or earlier, but with excellent clarity of sound and none of the sub-par production values I would have expected from a record that "sounds old". The lesson learned here: Don't stubbornly dig in your heels and refuse to something just because it was suggested to you by someone who's giving you a hard time over another record that you didn't think was that great.

5. Edison Glass - Time Is Fiction
Intelligent modern/indie rock that strips back a bit of the gloss and manages to do quite a bit creatively with the basic guitar/bass/drums/vocals combo, using outside instruments or effects sparingly. Takes some time to fully get into it, but I enjoy the quirky composition and the literate lyrics.

6. Jon Foreman - Spring & Summer
As with Thrice, the last two volumes of Foreman's four-EP project hit me harder than the first two (and they were released together commercially, so I consider them to be an "album" when taken together). I enjoy the wider array of instruments and moods here, especially on Spring, and the theme of death and rebirth coming to fruition after the bleaker musical colors of the first two EPs. Perhaps Fall & Winter (a set which sits just outside my Top 10 at the moment) needed to be what they were for Spring & Summer to resonate with me.

7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
A bunch of New England preppies hijacking Afro-pop drums and classical strings to create their own spirited indie rock concoction. It's insanely gimmicky, but also insanely addictive.

8. Yoav - Charmed & Strange
Wicked cool variant on the "just one dude and a guitar, no nonsense" formula. This South African-bred Israeli artist uses all manner of looping and other electronic manipulation to create a "folktronica" sort of blend where his lone acoustic guitar is the source material for pretty much every beat, bass line, and other weird sound not provided by his voice.

9. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
I was all set to label them the "thinking man's Coldplay", but Coldplay's managed to prove that they're doing more than enough thinking of their own these days. Still, Elbow stands apart from the Britpop pack due to their relentless desire to create luscious soundscapes that sound markedly different from song to song. There's a heightened sense of starry-eyed infatuation with life on this album that is nicely tempered by a few tracks that have a clear sense of deep, anguished mourning. Facing the death of a friend can give one a new lease on life, it seems.

10. Drive-By Truckers - Brighter than Creation's Dark
This album's so long it nearly collapses under its own weight, but nearly all of these 19 songs stand out with their own individual character - the presence of three lead singers helps greatly in that regard. A fascinating, if sometimes too vivid, series of earthy, Midwestern character studies.

Honorable Mention: Sanctus Real - We Need Each Other
By golly, they finally went and made themselves a consistent album - and kicked up the rock factor a notch. The lyrics do still flirt with CCM cliches, and two tracks out of ten are a bit dull, but the remaining eight have quite a kick to them (including one or two exquisite ballads). While it's not their most lyrically hard-hitting album (The Face of Love gets that honor), it's their best work musically, and they still prove to be a thoughtful band underneath the somewhat youth-groupy first impressions.

[Ian]

Here are my favorites (not necesarily highest ranked):

1. The Envy Corps - Dwell
Some have dismissed this as standard fare indie rock, which it is to some extent, but it's some of the most heart-achingly earnest indie rock albums I've heard.  Can't stop listening.  Story Problems is a candidate for song of the year.

2. Chris Wood - Trespasser
Irish influenced Folk of the highest quality.  I'm amazed that more people on this forum haven't checked this out.  England in Ribbons is a candidate for song of the year.

3. Jade - Analogic
An album dripping with atmosphere and consistency.  There's a sort of suspense throughout the album as to whether the next track could possibly be as good as the one before it, and amazingly, the answer is almost always the happy one.

4. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
I honestly can't understand why this earned such mediocre reviews, and yet when I try to explain why it's so good, I can't.  Maybe it's just me?

5. Balmorhea - River Arms
Piano driven instrumental that unlike many experimental albums doesn't sound like they're trying too hard to be different.  They have complete control over their sound and deliver it beautifuly.  Barefoot Pilgrims is a candidate for song of the year.

6. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Pssh, you've all heard it and know it's great.

7. Gregor Samsa - Rest
One of the more dificult albums of the year, but also one of the most moving.  Minimal and ambient, with just enough variation and flourish to keep your attention.

8. Sigur Rós - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Standard Sigur Ros with a couple new twists that work very well.  I wish they would have integrated more new sound into the second half, or at least distributed it more evenly, but as it stands the whole thing is gorgeous.

9. White Hinterland - Phylactery Factory
Chilled out jazz/pop that's both easy to listen to and rewarding in the long term.

10. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
The middle is a little weak, but the ends are a joy to listen to.

11. Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness
This album is a mountain.  It's brilliant, but damn, it's not easy listening.  Still though, the scope of it all has a certain challenging draw to it, and because of that I've come to it quite a few times.

[Josh]

Nice to see the White Hinterland disc on your list, Ian-- that one just misses the cut for me, and, come December 31st, I'll probably give it recognition as an honorable mention, or one of the best debuts of the year, or something.

[Aaron]

Nice to see the White Hinterland disc on your list, Ian-- that one just misses the cut for me, and, come December 31st, I'll probably give it recognition as an honorable mention, or one of the best debuts of the year, or something.

I've listened to it a few times and I just can't rank it as high as others have on here.  It's good but there's just something about it that doesn't make it really great for me. I can't put my finger on it.

[dgp11776]

1.  Deepspace5 - BakeSale
Hip-hop at near perfection.  Great beats, lyrics, rhymes, DJ work, and collaborations.  Every single one of the MC's is at the top of his game on this album.  It is merely an album meant to finance a full-length LP, but I wouldn't be surprised if this "EP" (a 12-song EP?) eclipses the LP.   

2.  Katie Herzig - Apple Tree
The music - folk, pop, alt country.  The lyrics - melancholy, sadness, and joy.  The voice - warm, fragile, and unique.  I wish more of you would give this a try.  This album is a knockout.

3.  My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
What everybody else said.  A great amalgamation of sound.

4.  The Myriad - With Arrows, With Poise
See murlough's list.  Wonderful use of imagery and imagination in their lyrics.

5.  Beat Rabbi & Deepspace5 - Deepspace5soul
Hard to believe they have two entries in the top five, but DS5 is just that solid.  Bakesale beats this one out by a hair due to having a little more variety in the DJ-spot.  This is all Beat Rabbi, which isn't a bad thing.  I love the use of horns in his samples.

6.  Braille - The IV Edition
Another hip-hop gem from the year.  A little more mainstream than DS5, but the sampling and production work are genius.

7.  Delirious? - Kingdom of Comfort
I think this is their best album since Glo.  The lyrics are rather convicting in spots, and I love the HUGE sound of some of the songs here.  The album closing combo of "All God's Children" and "My Soul Sings" is incredible.
 
8.  Edison Glass - Time Is Fiction
Love the music, guitars, vocals, and lyrics.  As murlough said, this is pretty much your typical setup of vocals, drums, guitars, and bass.  So how do they make it sound like more?  A very talented bunch of guys.

9.  Children 18:3 - Children 18:3
Head-banging, mosh-pitting, fist-pounding punk rock like it should be done.  They can scream with the best of them, but then sing with the sweetest harmonies you'll hear...in the same song.  These folks don't slow down all that much on this album, which zips by in a hurry.  "Homemade Valentine" is my favorite song of the year so far. 

10.  Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Yeah, what everybody else said on this one, too. 

11.  Tyler Burkum - Darling, Maybe Someday
The former Audio Adrenaline guitarist/vocalist has a winner on his debut solo LP.  The music is a nice blend of folk, country, and pop.  He is a great songwriter, aiming more towards the love song than the protest song.  Great voice, too.

Still digesting and will crack the top 11: 
Cool Hand Luke - The Sleeping House (definitely will be in the top few)
Relient K - The Nashville Tennis EP (likely in the top 10)

[bloop]

A to A+ Albums
Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust, Sigur Rós (9.5)
Evil Urges, My Morning Jacket (9.5)
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (9.0)
Third, Portishead (9.0)
Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, Atlas Sound (9.0)
Phylactery Factory, White Hinterland (9.0)
Attack & Release, The Black Keys (8.5)
Brighter Than Creation's Dark, Drive-By Truckers (8.5)
In Ghost Colours, Cut Copy (8.5)
Dig Lazarus Dig!!!, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (8.5)
Saturdays = Youth, M83 (8.5)
Visiter, The Dodos (8.5)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay (8.5)
Songs in A&E, Spiritualized (8.5)
Another Country, Tift Merritt (8.5)
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend (8.5)

A few I'm digesting may be in here, too.

[Josh]

A few I'm digesting may be in here, too.

Well I should hope so-- after all, The Tallest Man on Earth is still in your digesting heap!

[bloop]

Yeah, I've listened to it, and it's a winner.  I just need more time with it.

[murlough23]

This just in! Fleet Foxes is now #4 on my list, bumping off Sanctus Real. (Sorry, guys, I still like you, but you're no match.)

NP: "Blue Ridge Mountains", Fleet Foxes

[Ian]

Go ahead and toss Wintersleep - Welcome to the Night Sky somewhere in the middle of mine.  Fans of Jeniferever (which I'm not much of) would probably like it.  My dad thought I was listening to REM, who I'm not really familiar with, so I'll go out on a limb and call it Jeniferever meets REM.

EDIT:  You know what, scratch that.  Put Wintersleep at the #2 spot on my list.  This album is stunning.

[valleycat]

joy electric - my grandfather, the cubist

my feelings fluctuated up and down over this one for a while.  But then some of the songs I didn't like much clicked for me, which helped others fall into place, and after that it became mesmerizing.  I had to understand it as a darker album before it worked for me.  "Draw for Me, M.C. Escher" is my favorite, "Rudimentary Animation" close second. back to back they are amazing to hear.

ladytron - velocifero

I'm addicted to this one.  the sound works when the volume is turned all the way up and it swamps you over completely.  a total rock out/dance album...track 3, "I'm not scared", is my favorite one but I can listen to it all the way through and enjoy it.

wolf parade - at mount zoomer

not quite as good as Apologies to the Queen Mary but better in some ways, and still very great.  it sounds more original and more like "them" to my ears, rather just another indie rock band making the same thing.  unsettling in some places but really enjoyable and brilliant in many others. it evokes far more emotion from me than the first album, which I thought was great but didn't connect to much.

cut copy - in ghost colors

pure sonic pleasure.  its long track order helps it out in this case because it's not really an original album at all, just one that captures the best bits of a lot of electronic/pop/80's styles and mixes them all together.  a really fun album.

no age - nouns

I'm surprised this is making my list, but it is.  It's loud and fun rock music, "shitgaze" I've read it dubbed as for its purposeful bad production.  I've felt myself drifting away from enjoying that sort of production approach for a while now, but I guess I'm not totally sick of it yet.  This one still gets listened to by me a lot.  I've found it surprisingly better than I thought it was at first.


only five for now.

[murlough23]

A shakeup just happened in my Top 5. Fleet Foxes is now my #1. Pretty amazing for an album that I initially refused to listen to, eh? I realized that it and Coldplay's album deserved the full "A", surpassing the previous Top 2, which still sit at a comfortable "A-". House of Heroes might just sneak into the "A" range as I get more and more familiar with their album, so I've got it at #5 right now.

[valleycat]

A shakeup just happened in my Top 5. Fleet Foxes is now my #1. Pretty amazing for an album that I initially refused to listen to, eh? I realized that it and Coldplay's album deserved the full "A", surpassing the previous Top 2, which still sit at a comfortable "A-". House of Heroes might just sneak into the "A" range as I get more and more familiar with their album, so I've got it at #5 right now.

i've got to get that album...I own "White Winter Hymnal", and it is very nice, but some reason I haven't bought the whole album yet.

I updated my list too.  I hate placing JE so low after scoring them so high before, but somehow I can't stand half the album anymore, but I still adore "MC Escher".  TV on the Radio clicked for me over the weekend and now...I'm in love with it, but after I deleted "Red Dress" from the tracklist.

[murlough23]

i've got to get that album...I own "White Winter Hymnal", and it is very nice, but some reason I haven't bought the whole album yet.

Run, don't walk to get it. Seriously. Not only is a great album, it is the biggest example of "murlough was dead wrong" in history, and I'm sure everyone here will treasure that.

(Mod thingie: Don't we have a thread separate from this where we discuss our Top 10 so far for the year? It might be wise to splice the commentary out of this thread and move it over there so that this thread can be strictly the Journals. My bad for forgetting about that and restarting the discussion here.)

[bloop]

"Red Dress"

Um, that's a good song.

[Ian]

(Mod thingie: Don't we have a thread separate from this where we discuss our Top 10 so far for the year? It might be wise to splice the commentary out of this thread and move it over there so that this thread can be strictly the Journals. My bad for forgetting about that and restarting the discussion here.)

I looked back a couple pages and there isn't one.  Or, wasn't one.

[Ian]

Discuss here so as to not clutter the music journal thread.

Here are my top 20.  I'll go into more detail on them in a bit, but I gotta fly.

1. Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness - 9.2
2. Chris Wood - Trespasser - 9.0
3. White Hinterland - Phylactery Factory - 8.9
4. TV on the Radio - Dear Science, - 8.9
5. Balmorhea - River Arms - 8.8
6. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs - 8.7
7. Sigur Rós - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - 8.6
8. Matthew Robert Cooper - Miniatures - 8.6
9. Gregor Samsa - Rest - 8.6
10. The Bug - London Zoo - 8.6
11. Heidi Talbot - In Love And Light - 8.6
12. Jade - Analogic - 8.6
13. Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista - 8.5
14. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges - 8.5
15. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping - 8.5
16. Tickley Feather - Tickley Feather - 8.5
17. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood - 8.5
18. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - 8.5
19. Sam Shalabi - EID - 8.5
20. Aaron Martin - River Water - 8.4

I'm sure there will be new entries and rearrangements quite often before the end of the year.

[murlough23]

I looked back a couple pages and there isn't one.  Or, wasn't one.

I think Josh started one at around the midpoint of the year for "Your Top 10 for 2008 So Far" or something like that. But what you did works. Whenever a mod gets to this, except some thread splittage.

NP: "Sky Maps", Iona

[Josh]

I merged three separate "Best of 2008" threads together to create this one...

[murlough23]

I merged three separate "Best of 2008" threads together to create this one...

You da man.

[valleycat]

A month and a half ago this year seemed pretty drab for music to me.  Then I listened to several great albums in a matter of weeks, and now I think this is turning out to be a fantastic year.

So...this is my favorites list, updated.

1. Fleet Foxes - s/t
2. TV On the Radio - Dear Science,
3. Deerhunter - Microcastle
4. starflyer 59 - Dial M, Dial In
5. ladytron - velocifero
6. portishead - third
7. cut copy - in ghost colours
8. bon iver - for emma, forever ago
9. joy electric - my grandfather, the cubist
10. wolf parade - on mount zoomer

[ajyouthguy]

i wasn't sure where else to put this, but i get emails from some place called New Release Tuesday, and they had their 'founder' or whatever post his top 10 albums of the year lists posted this week.  it is (with a couple of minor exceptions) for the most part so incredibly cliche' GMA/Doves/K-Love/Air-1 stereotype CCM stuff it took me a little off guard.  here is their list...

1.  Third Day--Revelation
2. After Edmund--Hello
3. Bebo Norman--s/t
4. Krystal Meyers--Make Some Noise
5. Michael W Smith--A New Hallelujah
6. Family Force Five-_Dance or Die
7. Manafest--Citizen Activ
8. Francesca Batistelli--My Paper Heart
9.Matthew West--Something to Say
10. Sanctus Real--We Need Each Other

http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/article.php?article_id=184

[murlough23]

10. Sanctus Real--We Need Each Other

Well, 1 out of 10 ain't bad.

Oh, wait. Yes it is!

NP: "Time Is...", dc Talk

[Aaron]

Well, 1 out of 10 ain't bad.

Oh, wait. Yes it is!

NP: "Time Is...", dc Talk

Aside from After Edmund, the other best 2 albums on the list are at the bottom.  D-bag

[murlough23]

Aside from After Edmund, the other best 2 albums on the list are at the bottom.  D-bag

After Edmund is OK. Definitely not "best album" material. I'm not sure, as a new artist on a fairly minor label, what they did to warrant so much attention.

I've never heard of Manafest or Francesca Batistelli, and I know very little about Matthew West, so who knows, those could be worthwhile albums.

Just be glad that 2 albums you liked made the list at all. Sure, they're at the bottom, but they could have been 11 or lower, or not even considered at all.

[Aaron]

Manafest = average but not that great of a rapper.  Probably got props because he's another white rapper. But at least he's better than KJ-52.

[ajyouthguy]

none of the albums blew me away last year, but the Third Day one was a nice step back to what i liked in them and it will be in my top 20-25 or so.  otherwise, it's fairly standard fare outside of the FF5 album (which got horrible reviews).  The Sanctus Real album was fairly good, but will show in my 'decent but not listworthy' at the end of the year, as will After Edmund, which is one of my big disappointments because i can't figure out what the hype is about.

[Aaron]

I don't know about others but I really thought the Matthew West album was really good for CCM.

[murlough23]

Manafest = average but not that great of a rapper.  Probably got props because he's another white rapper. But at least he's better than KJ-52.

It sounded like a rapper name. I admit to being amused by the pun.

I probably like more white rappers than black rappers, but that's likely because a lot of white rappers bastardize the genre more (like John Reuben) and that's more the type of thing that I prefer. But I wouldn't say those are the best rappers, just that they're the ones I like more. "The best" needs to be judged by people who really listen to a lot of hip-hop and appreciate that genre without it having to be merged with other genres. I only scratch the surface so I really don't have a clue.

[bloop]

I don't know about others but I really thought the Matthew West album was really good for CCM.

There's well-hedged praise if I ever heard any.

[murlough23]

Here's my full write-up, explaining why I chose my Top 20 albums, mentioning a few leftovers from 2007, concert highlights, etc. and listing (not explaining!) my Top 100 songs.

http://www.epinions.com/content_5266579588

[Ian]

I was really disappointed with The Myriad after all the good things I'd heard about them.  They weren't bad by any means, there just wasn't anything about them that made them stand out from the rest of the wannabe Christian cross-over acts.  I think it might have been their singer that threw me off, the music is actually pretty good.  Same for HoH, although they were a little more memorable.  I like seeing Elbow and Jon Foreman in there though, for sure.  I counted those Jon Foreman CDs as seperate EPs, but if I had them as a single album they'd easily be top 25.

Now that I think about it, nothing stands out too much about Elbow or Jon Foreman either, besides the vocals.  Maybe Myriad just isn't my thing.  :|

[murlough23]

Now that I think about it, nothing stands out too much about Elbow or Jon Foreman either, besides the vocals.  Maybe Myriad just isn't my thing.  :|

I don't even think Jon Foreman's vocals are his strong suit, and I've been a Switchfoot fan for almost ten years now.

Elbow's vocals are delectable, though.

But unless a vocalist is extremely scratchy, off-key, or otherwise off-putting, I'm willing to forgive average vocal talent because I focus more on instrumentation and lyrics. I'm also a sucker for rock bands that mix idiosyncratic electronic stuff, so that may explain my love for The Myriad.

[Aaron]

There's well-hedged praise if I ever heard any.

Well I enjoyed the album, but it wouldn't end up in my top 10 or 15, probably my top 20-25.  It just shows the sad state of CCM.

[NewDimension]

I don't even think Jon Foreman's vocals are his strong suit, and I've been a Switchfoot fan for almost ten years now.

One reason I don't listen to Switchfoot more often is because of Jon Foreman's vocals. That's not to say he has horrible vocals in my eyes, it's just an element of their music which isn't that outstanding to me, artistically.

[murlough23]

One reason I don't listen to Switchfoot more often is because of Jon Foreman's vocals. That's not to say he has horrible vocals in my eyes, it's just an element of their music which isn't that outstanding to me, artistically.

I think you're missing out on other stuff that they're good at by letting that get in the way, but then I know I have certain vocalists who I just can't "get over".

And not that it's fair to compare his vocals today to 12 years ago, but the first time I heard "Underwater", I thought, "He sounds like a Muppet."

[ajyouthguy]

for whatever reason, i like Jon's vocals more on his solo stuff than on Switchfoot's stuff.  perhaps it's as simple as the difference in the music styles for the most part, but i like him as a vocalist on his solo stuff a little more than on the Switchfoot albums.

[NewDimension]

I think you're missing out on other stuff that they're good at by letting that get in the way, but then I know I have certain vocalists who I just can't "get over".

I still listen to some of their music, and I like some of their instrumentation and songwriting; but what I personally like from them in each of those musical aspects varies with each song. I could totally love one song, and then not like another so much (this is bound to happen with any band or artist you listen to though). Either way my opinion of them is subject to change. And actually I already like them more than I did the first several years I heard them. So that's a plus for them! I was just saying the vocals don't give me the extra incentive to listen to their music more often.