Five Criminally Slept On Albums from 2008

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I know what you're saying: It's not even December yet! But in the spirit of year-end goodness, which, as you may have noticed, we were all about this past week on the website, I thought the time was right to lay out some underappreciated gems of 2008. These are albums you won't find on our list or, very likely, many others, but they're completely worth your time. Have a listen and leave this blog post with a new recorded obsession:

[Above: The Black and Whites live at the Atlanta Mess-Around]

The Black and Whites - The Black and Whites [Douchemaster]

These Oxford, Mississippians are just about all I've been able to listen to in my car over the last couple months. In the news item I wrote about the band's recent (and eventually cancelled) tour, I called The Black and Whites "a quintessentially rock 'n' roll band, one that seems to pull equal influence from the poppiest moments of bands like Weezer and Guided by Voices and the punkiest moments of bands like the Ramones and Black Flag," and I stand by that. Very simple, very catchy, and sometimes, for a moment, very heavy, rock 'n' roll. Very good, also. I had the opportunity to see the group at the Atlanta Mess-Around last weekend, and they brought it. Read Paste contributor Eliot Johnson's take on their set here, and buy the band's album now from Douchemaster Records.

Listen to "You're the Only Girl" by The Black and Whites: