Top 10 CD's of 2008

Another year has come and gone, so once again it's time to go over my favorite CD's of the past year.

10. Danelia Cotton, Rare Child: A little funk, a little rock, and a powerful voice make for a winning formula.







9. Mudcrutch: Tom Petty breaks a bit from his usual formula, and the result is one of his strongest albums in quite some time.







8. La Rocca, OK Okay: These three Irishmen and one Englishman are superior pop craftsman that I expect to be hearing a lot from in the future.






7. Dion, Heroes: Legends of Early Guitar Rock: This is an absolute delight for people with even a moderate interest in 50's music.






6. Fleet Foxes: This highly touted debut justifies the hype.









5. Týr, Ragnarok: By combining heavy metal with folk music and a great concept, Týr have put the Faroe Islands on the musical map.






4. Anna Ternheim: Yes, the EP was better than the full-length album that followed. Ternheim just released an album of all-new material in Sweden in November, so look for it to reach these shores soon.




3. The Ditty Bops, Summer Rains: It may not be the list-topper that Moon Over the Freeway was two years ago, but it's still another solid effort from the charmingly subversive duo.





2. Sam Phillips, Don't Do Anything: Phillips has always been at her best when she's been at her most cathartic, and there's plenty of catharsis to go around on this record.





1. The Born Again Floozies, Street Music: Stubborn defiance meets great songwriting. Fly your freak flag high!







reviewed by Scott

La Rocca, OK Okay (Dangerbird Records, 2008)

A "pop" song used to mean a song that could appeal to broad range of people, due to factors like a strong melody, a chorus that sticks in your head, a lyrical subject that people can easily relate to, and perhaps strong instrumental performances or good vocal harmonies. Somewhere along the line, things changed. Today's pop market is more likely to reward cheap, instant gratification than a catchy melody, and performers who embrace pop music in the more conventional sense are often categorized, somewhat perversely, as "alternative."

Such is the case with La Rocca, an Irish band currently working out of California. Bjorn Baillie (vocals, guitar), Simon Baillie (vocals, bass), Nick Haworth (vocals, keyboards, guitar), and Alan Redmond (drums) play mid-tempo, no-fills rock, and specialize in strong melodies and group harmonies. Their second album, called OK Okay, came out at the end of September.

The music on OK Okay neither explodes in your face nor lulls you to sleep. Instead, La Rocca churn out one pleasant, radio-friendly song after another. I can envision most of these songs taking off on the charts with a little bit of exposure. But the album boasts two songs that are truly exceptional, and would already be massive hits in a more ideal world. The first of these, a song about finding contentment called "Half Speed," is characterized by a very singable chorus -- "Now I'm moving at half speed where once I ran; pretty soon, all the map reads is nowhere planned." The second is a beautifully poignant song called "Roadway Hymn." The band does a fine job of keeping the song from getting too slow or melancholy, and the vocal harmonies are simply superb.

OK Okay might not be my favorite album of the year, but I think it's the most universally accessible album I've heard in a while. I can't imagine anybody disliking it. La Rocca have a pop sensibility that few current bands can match, and I get the feeling that they'll force their way into mainstream exposure before too long.

Overall grade: A-

reviewed by Scott