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5) My Favorite Highway – How To Call a Bluff (July 22, 2008)
How To Call A Bluff is one of the most polished powerpop releases this year. It is evident that a tremendous amount of effort was put forth because everything was solid, from the vocals to the melodies. Dave Cook’s voice was inspiring and the instruments were extravagantly pop, putting a soulful twist to the genre. While it is this soul and passionate sound that drove me to put them on the list, it also prevented me from putting them in the top spot. This album is definitely the total package when it comes to sound, but their soul often translated into less of the carefree fun which is a staple for any powerpop band.
My Favorite Highway – Getaway Car

4) Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger (September 20, 2008)
Inspiring, enduring and beautiful, that is what Jack’s Mannequin has turned The Glass Passenger into. This album lacks pop in the traditional sense, there’s little fun and little non-chalant business to be found in this album. Instead listeners are treated to something real and passionate, a glimpse into the world of Andrew McMahon. While it is true that I hold a soft spot for Jack’s Mannequin, there are no pity points awarded in this list. The music speaks for itself, with words that motivate and sounds that allow you to visualize more than just music. From aggressive tracks to mellow ones, the music is powerful and tells a unique story. Definitely the most influential album on this list, it is however just delving on the borders of powerpop, and as such cannot be named the best powerpop album of the year.
Jack’s Mannequin – Bloodshot

3) Forever The Sickest Kids – Underdog Alma Mater (April 1, 2008)
A perfect example of what powerpop means to me is Underdog Alma Mater. One of the most anticipated albums of the year, it definitely lived up to the standards put forth by FTSK’s previous EP. Energetic, fun, clever, and catchy — these are all adjectives that best describe Underdog Alma Mater and are often used in conjuncture with the pop genre itself. While many bands possess similar styles, FTSK has honed their own with uniquely timed duel vocals and an edgy sound that keeps things fresh and never boring. Simple, honest, and fun is what they do best, and anything beyond that can be left to a different genre, not powerpop. By the end of the album there’s a smile on my face and a tune in my head, which is all I can ask for. The only issue preventing this album from moving up in rankings is it’s similarities with FTSK’s old stuff, which has not been the case for many of the sophomore releases this year.
Forever The Sickest Kids – Hey Brittany

2) Cute Is What We Aim For – Rotation (June 24, 2008)
A complete shocker for me, I never thought Rotation would cut this list, let alone be the number one contender as powerpop album of the year. After my first listen I was utterly disgusted with CIWWAF’s complete change and revamping of their music. But over time this album has grown on me so much that I have listened to it consistently since it was released in June. The change in style took some getting used to, and while I still feel the quality of lyrics has devolved, just about everything else has evolved into something great. It could be that Cute matured, and therefore the lyrics became less about witty sexual innuendos and more about real social problems, leaving little room for insanely clever lyrics. That said, Rotation is much more polished than their debut album, competing with a full fledged sound that is aggressive, powerful and catchy. It provided that kind of spark that got me completely pumped over nothing, and was still pop enough to be catchy and moving. Most importantly it did not lose its stay-power even after hundreds of listens. A definite surprise album for me, Rotation earned it’s spot as the second best album of 2008.
Cute Is What We Aim For – Practice Makes Perfect

1) The Maine – Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop (July 8, 2008)
It may be of no shock that Can’t Stop Won’t Stop tops this year’s list and has easily become my favourite powerpop album of the year. Since the day it was released it has been vying for the title, and after every listen I feel it deserves it more and more. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop perfectly combines emphatic and addictive pop with the meaningful and moving variety. Prior to this album The Maine was mainly known for just the fun stuff, so the debut album was a refreshing surprise in change. The Maine’s style is something that seems common, but has yet to be emulated to the kind of perfection that they deliver it with. Fans of powerpop can enjoy the fun and energetic songs but at the same time feel moved by the warm and inviting music. It is an album I enjoy each and every time I listen, not only because it is classically a fun album, but also because it’s a very thoughtful album. Perhaps I’m a softie for the quaint pop that has been produced this year, but at the end of the day, The Maine takes the cake with Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. Hopefully the title of this LP is an insight into their future endeavours.
The Maine – We’ll All Be

Honour Roll: The Academy Is… – Fast Times at Barrington High, A Rocket To The Moon – Greetings From…, Mercy Mercedes – 1.21 Gigawatts, The Morning Light – Self-titled

And that’s the list, have a happy holiday!

After arriving, I was pretty confused as to the schedule and locations of the stages. After about twenty minutes of wandering and what not, I found the schedule and planned the day accordingly. Seeing as how I had already missed The Academy Is…, We The Kings, and Automatic Loveletter, I headed towards the Myspace tent to watch a special acoustic set by Forever The Sickest Kids. The tent was packed, but there probably weren’t more than fifty people, and the performance was amazing. The vocals were spot on to the recordings, and the acoustic instrumentals were warm and mellow. While their personalities really shined, I expected that their performance on stage would be ten times more energetic with room to rock out. So after that acoustic set, I was bent on seeing them later that afternoon.

After the acoustic set by FTSK, I caught the last three songs by A Cursive Memory. One of the songs they played was a cover of Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles, which was actually really good. They also played their infamous single, Everything, and if you haven’t seen the music video for that song, do it now. I was shocked to see a very small crowd formed in front of the stage, with not more than forty people. Nonetheless the performance was still amazing, and everything from the vocals to the drums stood out. I was pleased to see that the two vocalists had really talented voices, and they complement each other very well. While I only caught three songs, I had to head over to their merch table and get some stuff.

At this point I had a bit of a break to check out all the merch tables and different shops setup. The venue was located at the parking lot in front of Arrow Hall, so it was quite a big venue, although Downsview Park would have been much nicer. At the ACM table all the cds were sold out, so I left empty handed but my friend scored a free EP. I did get a chance to pick up some EPs that would otherwise be hard to find in Canada, such as Automatic Loveletter’s. Being my first time at a music festival I enjoyed the whole walking, and choosing what I wanted to see and how my day would go, though I didn’t quite agree with the schedules, since they had bands in similar genres on different stages. It was quite a hassle to walk from one end of the venue to the other to see bands that should be grouped together, but not exactly a big deal.

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Underdog Alma Mater is an album I’ve been waiting for, for quite some time. With 2008 being such a big year for many of the bands I listen to, including the release of Whisper War by The Cab and a late 08 release date for The Glass Passenger by Jack’s Mannequin, FTSK and Underdog Alma Mater has always sat nearer to the top of that list. Being easily impressed by their first EP, Television Off Party On, it was almost a shoe in that the first full length would be just as good. Not surprisingly, the album delivered a lethal injection of addictive power pop, never straying away from the catchy and upbeat elements that have made them famous.

Before getting into the meat of the album, I’ll state my one and only gripe and that is nearly half of the album is material I had previously heard. This recycling of material kind of killed the anticipation of the album, but the new stuff is just as deadly, and in the end it was well worth the wait. The first song Whoa Oh was a single available on their Myspace as a teaser to the album and it is a perfect example of what Forever The Sickest Kids is all about. The chorus is absolutely and painfully addictive that is sure to get people out of their seats and dancing about. Simple but well placed vocals constantly changing in rhythm and tone provides that fast paced upbeat tempo that FTSK exemplifies. There’s a lot of energy radiating from this one song, and the album continuously produces hit after hit. The use of a variety of vocals, one main and two backing, keeps listeners from ever getting bored, and provides plenty of liveliness to the songs. Along with the classic line up of vocalist, guitar, bass and drums, FTSK adds another guitarist and keyboardist to complete a six man crew, where each individual plays a vital role in the music. The jam packed line up provides for constant action in the music, and this is definitely the key to their upbeat style of powerpop. Every now and again I’ll focus on the synths, or the guitars, or the vocals, but it’s this constant shifting of noise that really kicks the music into high gear.

Hey Brittany, a song that they first wrote for Purevolume, is probably they’re most famous track, and it is also featured in this album. Although remastered, FTSK did not change much, but it meshes perfectly with the album. My Worst Nightmare the third track, is one of my favourites because of the intro, a basic synth beat that seems really corny at first, but quickly becomes a very classy rhythm that’s extremely refreshing. The album continues with much of the same upbeat, lively music, that’s just incredibly fun to listen to. Coffee Break slows things down and gets a little more serious, but what album isn’t complete without the acoustic intermission?

With witty lyrics, great instrumentals, smooth vocals and a fast moving style, Underdog Alma Mater has been a pleasure to listen to and is a solid album. Considering it’s a debut album, I’m really anxious to see how Forever The Sickest Kids can top this. With hit after hit after hit, Forever The Sickest Kids will likely enjoy some huge success. Although many may say they will outgrow their style, I sincerely hope they don’t, because you’re never too old to have fun, and this album is about just that.

Check out their Myspace for official tour dates and album info.

Forever The Sickest Kids – Whoa Oh (Me VS Everyone)

Forever The Sickest Kids – Breakdown

Buy the album @ Amazon, Insound.