XRT Listener Poll: Best Albums of 2008

Buddy%20Guy%20said%20he%20was%20inspired%20to%20write%20the%20song%20%26%238220%3BSkin%20Deep%26%238221%3B%20after%20reuniting%20with%20a%20white%20childhood%20friend%20whose%20parents%20had%20cut%20off%20their%20relationship%20as%20teens%2C%20according%20to%20George%20Vlahakis%20of%20BlackGrooves.org.%20Collaborations%20on%20the%20album%20include%20Eric%20Clapton%2C%20Derek%20Trucks%2C%20Susan%20Tedeschi%2C%20and%20Robert%20Randolph.

XRT%20Listeners%20didn%E2%80%99t%20know%20it%20at%20the%20time%2C%20but%20they%20were%20voting%20for%20what%20has%20turned%20out%20to%20be%20the%20band%E2%80%99s%20penultimate%20album%2C%20as%20the%20band%20announced%20their%20conclusion%20in%20September%202011.

In%20September%202009%2C%20Flowers%20commented%20on%20the%20album%3A

Somewhat%20of%20a%20phenomenon%2C%20the%204th%20studio%20album%20and%20change%20of%20style%20for%20the%20band%20was%20met%20with%20poor%20critical%20reviews%2C%20clocking%20in%20at%20a%203.8%2F10%2C%202%2F10%20and%204%2F10%20by%20Pitchfork%20Media%2C%20PopMatters%20and%20JustPressPlay%20respectively%2C%20while%20achieving%20extremely%20high%20commercial%20success%2C%20peaking%20inside%20the%20top%2010%20of%20over%2010%20different%20countries%20in%202008.

In%20an%20interview%20with%20Renee%20Montagne%20of%20NPR%2C%20Beck%20explained%20the%20method%20to%20his%20madness%20for%20the%20songwriting%20on%20Modern%20Guilt%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20way%20a%20lot%20of%20my%20songs%20are%20written%20%E2%80%94%20I%20write%20the%20music%20first%2C%20and%20I%20record%20it%2C%20and%20then%20with%20a%20song%20like%20%26%238216%3BModern%20Guilt%2C%26%238217%3B%20I%20just%20get%20on%20the%20microphone%20and%20I%20write%20something%20really%20quick%2C%20sort%20of%20off%20the%20top%20of%20my%20head%20so%20I%20can%20remember%20the%20melody.%20And%20what%20happens%20a%20lot%20of%20times%20is%20that%20what%20I%20initially%20sing%20on%20there%20ends%20up%20being%20on%20the%20record.%20A%20lot%20of%20these%20things%2C%20I%20don%26%238217%3Bt%20really%20get%20to%20spend%20too%20much%20time%20figuring%20out%20what%20it%20is.%26%238221%3B

When%20this%20legendary%20duo%20joined%20forces%20in%202007%20to%20collaborate%20for%20the%20first%20time%20since%201981%2C%20they%20agreed%20that%20they%20would%20only%20work%20on%20the%20project%20as%20long%20as%20it%20was%20enjoyable.%20If%20it%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20fun%2C%20they%20would%20stop.%20Lucky%20for%20us%2C%20it%20must%20have%20been%20fun.

Cover%20art%20for%20MMJ%E2%80%99s%20fifth%20studio%20album%20was%20done%20by%20Gary%20Burden.%20The%20Grammy%20Award%20winning%20artist%20has%20done%20covers%20for%20Mama%20Cass%2C%20Crosby%20Stills%20Nash%20and%20Young%2C%20Joni%20Mitchell%2C%20The%20Doors%2C%20The%20Eagles%2C%20Jackson%20Browne%2C%20and%20Neil%20Young.

In%20an%20interview%20with%20Doug%20Wallen%20of%20The%20Vine%2C%20Guitarist%20and%20producer%20Chris%20Walla%20said%20that%2C%20%26%238220%3BNarrow%20Stairs%20was%20very%20much%20a%20commitment%20to%20just%20crashing%20through%20the%20songs%20as%20we%20recorded%20them%2C%20like%20four%20people%20in%20a%20room.%26%238221%3B

The%20album%20was%202%20years%20in%20the%20making%2C%20and%20after%20it%20was%20released%20Thom%20Yorke%20said%20the%20album%20was%20%26%238220%3Babout%20the%20f-ing%20panic%20of%20realizing%20you%26%238217%3Bre%20going%20to%20die%21%20And%20that%20any%20time%20soon%20%5BI%20could%5D%20possibly%20%5Bhave%5D%20a%20heart%20attack%20when%20I%20next%20go%20for%20a%20run%2C%26%238221%3B%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20Craig%20McLean%20of%20The%20Observer.

This%20album%20earned%20the%20UK%20Rockers%20Best%20Rock%20Album%20at%20the%202009%20Grammy%20Awards%2C%20which%20might%20be%20due%20to%20the%20fact%20that%20producer%20Brian%20Eno%20insisted%20on%20making%20every%20single%20song%20sound%20different%20on%20the%20album.%20Other%20influences%20include%20latin%20vibes%20from%20touring%20in%20South%20America%2C%20novels%20by%20Charles%20Dickens%20and%20Victor%20Hugo%E2%80%99s%20Les%20Mis%C3%A9rables.