Many recaps begin with impossibly superlative statements, but there will be no proclamations of unmatched musical grandeur or best album in decades in this one. The summer of 2008 was like most periods in recent musical history — some highly anticipated releases from the big groups, a few standouts from the vast wasteland that is indie music and plenty of chart-topping, radio-dominating dreck that, in a perfect world, would’ve been neither chart-topping nor radio-dominating.

It’s by no means a comprehensive list, but here, in order of release date, are the albums that caught my attention this summer, for better or worse.

The Submarines

“Honeysuckle Weeks”

Nettwerk

Release date: May 13

Sunny indie pop gets a big boost from The Submarines on their sophomore effort.

The husband and wife duo of John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard combine their unrelentingly optimistic lyrics with tightly meshed electronic soundscapes to create some of the happiest music you’ve ever heard.

Even more impressive, they steer clear of the cheesiness that might potentially plague an album like this, ending up with a finished product even your mom will love.

Death Cab for Cutie

“Narrow Stairs”

Atlantic Records

Release date: May 13

Having left any illusion of obscurity behind with their first record on a major label in 2006 (“Plans”), Death Cab continues their run of solid pop records with their latest album. Despite claims of a darker turn, “Narrow Stairs” doesn’t sound like too much of a departure from the usual. It’s the band’s first album to ever reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The album’s commercial success is not surprising, but the consensus among music fans will likely rank “Narrow Stairs” as slightly inferior to “Plans” and “Transatlanticism.”

Scarlett Johansson

“Anywhere I Lay My Head”

Atco Records

Release date: May 20

Initial reports of “Lost in Translation” actress Scarlett Johansson releasing an album of Tom Waits covers were met mostly with disbelief and/or disgust. But this is no disaster like a William Shatner or David Hasselhoff album. Not that it’s any good either. While Johansson certainly may possess a gifted singing voice, I challenge you to determine if she does simply by listening to the album. Her voice is overwhelmed by layers and layers of textured sound thanks to producer Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio — the “tin-can” effect on Johansson’s voice ensures plenty of frustration for most listeners.

Katy Perry

“One of the Boys”

Capitol Music Group

Release date: June 17

Allmusic.com’s review of this album concludes with the declaration that “One of the Boys” is “ … a grotesque emblem of all the wretched excesses of this decade.” As one of the millions of unfortunate souls subjected to the infuriating sounds of “I Kissed a Girl” in nearly every public place I frequented this summer, I can’t find a better way to say it than that. Saying Katy Perry is trying too hard seems like a painfully obvious statement, but writing about this dreadful album with such a crushing lack of subtlety seems appropriate.

Coldplay

“Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends”

Parlophone

Release date: June 17

Debuting at No. 1 in 36 countries and becoming the most (legally) downloaded album of all time, “Viva la Vida” has already achieved the type of commercial success that few bands other than Coldplay can deliver. And like other Coldplay albums, it’s decent, but a band that appeals to this wide of an audience doesn’t have much hope for achieving anything too risky or remarkable. Coldplay will keep the anthems coming until the day it expires, but “Viva la Vida” is no more memorable than the rest.

Miley Cyrus

“Breakout”

Hollywood Records

Release date: July 22

AND

The Jonas Brothers

“A Little Bit Longer”

Hollywood Records

Release date: August 12

It’s double the bliss for the Disney Channel faithful and double the agony for everyone else. The success of both albums sadly reinforces the monster that is tween buying power, which could lead to ultimate domination of the music industry — can a Jonas Brothers sweep of the Grammys be far off? Meanwhile, Miley seems to be doing just fine with her first album apart from the Hannah Montana character. We, on the other hand, are a little less fortunate.

Conor Oberst

“Conor Oberst”

Merge Records

Release date: August 5

The Bright Eyes frontman ditches the moniker and releases his first solo album since 1996. Being that Bright Eyes retains few constants other than Oberst, this album doesn’t fall far from the tree. His folksy sounds are welcome as always, and so are the often mysterious lyrics. Not many are as skilled at saying inscrutable things so nicely. Oberst is a superior wordsmith, and lives up to his reputation on this self-titled album.

Dusty Somers is a Journalism Junior.