Top 20 Albums of 2008, Starring Rings

It's finally here. After a year of listening to thousands upon thousands of left-field albums —not to mention a week toiling away in the About dungeon, whipping this litany into shape— I've finally come out the other end of 2008 clutching a definite, definitive list: the Top 20 Albums of 2008.

Having already primed you for the glories of end-of-year list-makin' with 10 Great Debut Albums, and, more excitedly, 10 Killer Under-the-Radar Records, it's time to unveil the best of the best, the picks of the litter, the gold-standard winners of the recorded year that was.

Though the rundown features many familiar names, there are a handful of lesser-known entities. And none more deserving of a glowing, glittering spotlight —not to mention heaping helpings of acclaim— than New Yorker trio Rings. There are several pop-cultural references to lead you into the band: their drummer, Abby Portner, is the sister of Animal Collective's Dave Portner (aka Avey Tare). Their first record, as Rings, was released on AC's own label, Paw Tracks. It was produced by Portner's love-interest, former Múm member Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir.

And Animal Collective serves well enough as a basic reference point; Rings also working in an experimental, exploratory, communally-conceived realm in which percussive primitivism and joyous pop-song collide in musical explosions. Yet, as heard, here, on the ricocheting, rhythmic "Mom Dance," there's something ineffable, something... magical about Rings; something in the way the voices of Nina Mehta and Kate Rosko meet and mingle out in the 'space' of their sound.

Rings' debut album, Black Habit, is, doubtlessly, one of the truly transcendent works of the past year. I hope it's one of many wondrous discoveries you make when perusing the list.

Photo © [Kathy Lo]