My Favorite Albums of 2008

[Derek]

As with film, 2008 was also a step down from 2007 for music, but that's not to say I didn't come across a lot of really good albums. While I gave out less than half as many 4.5/5's and not a single 5, there were nearly as many of those great, but not that great, albums out there - enough to still make it tough to widdle down to 30. I'm especially disappointed that the first two had to be left off, but c'est la vie. Here are the ones that didn't make the cut.

Honorable Mentions

1) Invincible – Shapeshifters

A white girl from Detroit put out not only the best rap album of the year, but one of my favorites this year, period? I wouldn't have believed it was possible, but the girl writes intelligent, socially conscious lyrics that balance rage with thoughtful, informed dissent. Mix that with a creative array of beats and sound effects and that's really I could ask for in a hip hop album.

Key Tracks: “Shapeshifters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrIhD4gHrIM&feature=related)”, “Sledgehammer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxZbpbCKKL4&feature=related)”, “Spacious Skies”)

2) Johann Johannsson – Fordlandia

I was underwhelmed by Johannsson's more lauded IBM 1401: A User's Manual, which is only slightly more interesting that the title leads you to believe, so I was caught off-guard by the staggering heights that this beautiful ambient/classical album reaches.

Key Tracks: “Fordlandia (http://www.myspace.com/johannjohannsson)”, “Melodia (Guidelines for a Propulsion Device Based on Heim’s Quantum Theory) (http://puddlegum.net/johann-johannsson-melodia-guidlines-for-a-space-propulsion-device/)”, “How We Left Fordlandia (http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/window/media/page/0,,4820555-11791099,00.html)” (only a brief snippet)

3) Wire – Object 47

Wire's still around? Wire's still putting out albums? Wire's a bit too slickly produced at times, but still some of the best post-punk around? Yes, yes and yes.

Key Tracks: “Patient Flees”, “Circumspect (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmsX10KMpg)”, “Perspex Icon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OS12aWMgIM)” (could only find very low-quality live versions of these)

4) Benoit Pioulard – Temper

I love the way Pioulard integrates ambient and folk into his sonic landscapes. Like Precis, this album is such a wonderfully smooth listen not because it all sounds the same, but because of the ease with which Pioulard ebbs and flows through different sounds. In two genres that can veer towards the dull or predictable more than others, this kid excels at both, furthering announcing himself as one of the most talented young musicians out there today.

Key Tracks: “Loupe (http://www.myspace.com/pioulard)”, “Brown Bess (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/144613-premiere-benot-pioulard-brown-bess-mp3-stream)”, “Hesperus (http://www.last.fm/music/Beno%C3%AEt+Pioulard/_/Hesperus)”

5) The Great Northwest – The Widespread Reign of the Great Northwest

Yet another Honorable Mention with a heavy dose of ambience, The Great Northwest's review risks alienating much of their potential audience due to a consistent reliance on repetition. I can understand why many, probably most, will find this boring, but songs like "Chief John" and "Reverie" suck me in like few others and are peppered with enough subtle touches and variations that they're not simplistic loops. Plus, "Know What I Mean" is a pretty sweet homage to My Bloody Valentine - derivative for sure, but awesome in it's own way.

Key Tracks: “Know What I Mean (http://hypem.com/artist/the+great+northwest)”, “Chief John (http://seewhatyouhear.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/the-great-northwest-chief-john/)”, “Reverie (http://hypem.com/track/704220/The+Great+Northwest-Reverie)”


I'll get started with the main list (with longer write-ups) tomorrow. For now, enjoy the songs above.

[D_Davis]

Very cool.

Looking forward to the list!

[Derek]

#30

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1360364.jpg

Spiritualized - Songs in A&E

Coming on the heels of Jason Pierce's near-death experience, Spiritualized put out their best work since Ladies and Gentlemen We're Floating in Space. Pierce puts his voice up front, letting the emotion pour through him like never before, instead of drowning it in all the background noise. The choirs are still there, the guitars are often spacey, and certain songs reach the operatic grandeur that has defined there sound for the past decade, but Pierce and Friends have stripped some of the excesses that have marred their past two albums (each a step down from what came before it, though both still rather good), opting for a calmer, more intimate sound that doesn't try so hard to knock your socks off. What a treat to have a favorite band of mine manage to return to form while still pushing their sound into new dimensions.

Key Tracks: “Baby I’m Just a Fool (http://hypem.com/track/637783/Spiritualized--+Baby+I%27m+Just+A+Fool)”, “Sweet Talk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZBzDRbWOe0)”, “Soul on Fire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuEOqzs76sE)”

[Derek]

#29

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s834666.jpg

High Places - 03/07-09/07

Such simple, innocuous music that I was caught off-guard by how quickly I became addicted to it. High Places is a two-some relying on layered drum beats, ambiance and Mary Pearson's ultra-sweet, sing-songy crooning to create music that is upbeat and fun, yet still relaxing. There's no single song I can point to as a favorite since their music, whether this collection of songs from last year or their self-titled LP (which I don't like quite as much as this one), works much better if you let it wash over you for a period of time. Their sound is simple but completely fresh, playful and dreamlike. The sugary sweetness of the vocals and lyrics is perfectly balanced by the complexity of everything behind, creating a wonderfully unique blend of children's songs and manic psychedelic pop.

Key Tracks: "Head Spins (http://dosdesiete.blogspot.com/2008/12/high-places-arriba-arriba-arriba.html)", "Banana Slugs/Cosmonaut (http://cowbell.fm/track/73175-high-places-banana-slugscosmonaut)", "Shared Island (http://www.myspace.com/hellohighplaces)"

[D_Davis]

I haven't liked Spiritualized since Fucked Up Inside. They got too big - not in popularity, but in their sound and arrangements. Bloated is a good word to describe them. I haven't even listened to this latest album, but maybe I'll give it a shot.

[Derek]

I haven't liked Spiritualized since Fucked Up Inside. They got too big - not in popularity, but in their sound and arrangements. Bloated is a good word to describe them. I haven't even listened to this latest album, but maybe I'll give it a shot.

I don't know how much you'll like this album then. There are some short ambient pieces peppered throughout the album and more of the songs are softer and toned down, especially compared to the last two albums, but I'm guessing you wouldn't be much of a fan of this one. I would base your decision to listen to whole thing on three songs I linked.

But that's cool, I'm fine with simply agreeing with you on the awesomeness of Spacemen 3, Spectrum and early Spiritualized. :)

[Derek]

#28

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1331510.jpg

Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

Wolf Parade's firecracker of a debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary, set the indie music world afire 3 years ago leaving Spencer Krug, Dan Boeckner & Co. with the unpleasant task of following it up. The influx of wolf, deer and various other animal-themed band names only served to send misdirected hatred their way by people and musicians who want to lump indie rock into a conglomerate. After all, if you're an indie band not bending your sound to fit the mold of today's corporate rock, surely you're reading Pitchfork and taking notes on how to become the next great thing. Fortunately for Wolf Parade, the 3-year layoff didn't find them sitting idly by waiting for their stock to drop, but instead was spent, gasp, making music. Boeckner put out a solid LP with his wife under the name Handsome Furs and Krug was busy with his other band Sunset Rubdown putting out the best album of last year, as well as a mixed bag of songs for Swan Lake with fellow Canucks, Dan Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers) and Frog Eyes' Carey Mercer. By the time they finally regrouped, the hype around them had died down and they could get right to the business of making music. And while At Mount Zoomer doesn't quite reach the consistent heights of Queen Mary, which was almost a given, the album reminds me how well Boeckner's rock edge and Krug's mad indie pop work so well together. The album sags a bit in the middle, but picks up quickly with "Fine Young Cannibals" and "Animal in Your Care" before exploding with the epic, 3-part "Kissing the Beehive". This final track is 11 minutes that exhibit everything great about Wolf Parade (okay, except for the brevity they often showed on Queen Mary) from the patient, but hard-rockin' part 1, to the instrumental showdown in middle segment and the wicked prog finale in the last few minutes. It's expansive yet packed to the brim with musical ideas and while charges of excess can't be denied, the song is so self-assured and always heading in a specific direction that I can't be bothered to take it too seriously. Krug is simply one of those musicians who I can appreciate no matter what he tries and I like that he wasn't content here to pop out a dozen 3-minute no-brainers and instread worked to broaden the bands horizons. Not a complete success, but a great album nonetheless.

Key Tracks: "Kissing the Beehive (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2shLapSNr0U)", "An Animal in Your Care (http://www.tsururadio.com/music/best08/16%20Wolf%20Parade%20-%20An%20Animal%20In%20Your%20C are.mp3)", "Soldier's Grin (http://www.vaguespace.net/files/01-soldiers-grin.mp3)"

[Winston*]

Don't think that much of that Wolf Parade album. Much prefer the original Wolf Parade and the two Sunset Rubdown albums.

Actually I'm not sure if I've actually made it through the whole thing yet, I'll check out that last track later today.

[Derek]

Don't think that much of that Wolf Parade album. Much prefer the original Wolf Parade and the two Sunset Rubdown albums.

Actually I'm not sure if I've actually made it through the whole thing yet, I'll check out that last track later today.

I like it a tad less than the first Sunset Rubdown, but I also like Apologies and Random Spirit Lover a lot more. This one took a few listens to grow on me, but I like their sound too much to not eventually be won over.

[Melville]

I like it a tad less than the first Sunset Rubdown, but I also like Apologies and Random Spirit Lover a lot more. This one took a few listens to grow on me, but I like their sound too much to not eventually be won over.
I'd say Shut Up I Am Dreaming > Apologies to Queen Mary > Random Spirit Lover > At Mount Zoomer. But they're all awesome. Probably my favorite current band(s), though I'm pretty clueless about music compared to a lot of people here.

[keyinblack]

oh sweet.

edit: i'm actually really looking forward to this, great start.

[Derek]

#27

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1302731.jpg

Mlle. Caro & Franck Garcia - Pain Disappears

I've always had a problem with vocals and techno. Last year, Matthew Dear's Asa Breed and Ulrich Schnauss's Goodbye had their moments but I often felt like the integration of vocals hindered the songs and what the music gained in originality, it lost in effectiveness. Pain Disappears, on the other hand, gets it right on just about every song. Caro and Garcia are not merely tacking lyrics on top of beats but work with a band to create fully fleshed out songs that give room for every instrument and sound to breathe without forcing every song to include every instrument. The more rock-based sound on "Dead Souls" and "I Don't Want" have a completely different sound than the microhouse grooves of "Lost" and "No Name", but the album remains a cohesive vision. It begins with a wave of melancholy that carries the first third before slowly branching out in various directions and Caro and Garcia have such a great feel for all these variations that the tonal shifts are hardly noticeable in the context of the album. It's one of those albums that I constantly undervalued throughout the year, wondering if I was giving it too much credit until each time I sat down to give it a spin and found I never had to wait too long to get to another great track.

Key Tracks: "Always You (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3hP1vOzmgI&feature=related)", "Dead Souls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOoGkl27oRQ)", "Lost (http://download.esnips.com/doc/8b1d4acf-3864-4aa2-b4db-c9ebb1c28126/Frank-Garcia--Mlle-Caro---Lost)"

[Derek]

I'd say Shut Up I Am Dreaming > Apologies to Queen Mary > Random Spirit Lover > At Mount Zoomer. But they're all awesome. Probably my favorite current band(s), though I'm pretty clueless about music compared to a lot of people here.

I love them all, so I really can't argue much with your order. I'm always glad to see Sunset Rubdown love too!


oh sweet.

edit: i'm actually really looking forward to this, great start.

Sorry if it seemed like I'm stealing your thunder, although it looks like you may have listed people out for a few days. :) I'm home for a couple weeks like last year, so this is the best time to get this kinda thing going.

We definitely have a bit of overlap, but I'm really interested to hear what you think of the ones that didn't make yours, whether you disliked them or haven't heard them.

[keyinblack]

the wolf parade album is good, but it was a non-event, unfortunately, and i could never remember to listen to it.

language city is a really neat song. i couldn't get behind krug's offerings as much.

edit: random spirit lover is your favorite of 07? wow, interesting pick.

[Derek]

#26

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1581255.jpg

The New Year - The New Year

Finely crafted and thoughtful pop albums are few and far between. Even rarer are ones steeped in conventional sounds that still manage to head in surprising directions on nearly every track. The New Year's self-titled album has a relatively innocuous sound that make them easy to dismiss as just another indie rock band with a pleasant but unchallenging sound. But where accessibility and conventionality lie, there is also efficiency and subtlety. The album is full of great hooks and wonderful rhythms, yet they are structured in slightly unexpected, offbeat ways. Their sound doesn't exactly match, but I can't help being reminded of Fog's Ditherer, from last year, in the way the chord changes often create a strange atmosphere amidst a seemingly normal song. I'm thinking particularly of the way "The Door Opens" builds to guitar and bass riffs that are in perfect rhythm yet played in opposition, threatening to tear the song in two. This sense of misdirection within the traditional is most effective in the albums greatest track and centerpiece, "Seven Days and Seven Nights". The first 40 seconds of this song are absolutely nothing special, consisting of a simple acoustic guitar with a basic slow drum backing. Once the electric guitar riff kicks in, the riff kicks in, establishing a strong post-rock feel creating the expectation of crescendo towards an explosive finale. The song does build, but the riff repeatedly goes through its three chord changes, never expanding into the cathartic outburst we expect. Instead of building within the single instrument, The New Year create a complex web of sound around it, adding other simple riffs, ambient noise and even the feint sounds of a dial tone that lead to an emotional release while the song remains contained in itself. This is the kind of restraint we don't see enough of in music and while I'm an admitted fan of more than a few post-rock bands, this blend of traditional pop and post-rock is satisfying in an entirely different way. The New Year are clearly a band full of talented musicians, yet are no point do any of them feel the need to flaunt it. They're content to let it flow naturally through one great track after another.

Key Tracks: "Seven Days and Seven Nights (http://www.rcdc.it/audio/maps/Audio//The%20New%20Year%20-%20Seven%20Days%20And%20Seven% 20Nights.mp3)" (live, 1.5-2 minutes shorter and not nearly as good as the album cut :(), "The Door Opens (http://fakepennycomics.com/blog/TN_TheDoorOpens.mp3)", "Folios (http://indiemuse.com/2008/08/29/the-new-year-folios/)"

[Derek]

#25

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1493569.jpg

The Instruments - Dark Småland

Led by cellist/singer Heather Mackintosh, The Instruments are a collective of former members of Elephant 6 bands with a few other musicians thrown in the mix for good measure. Hell, Jeff Mangum even shows up on vocals on this album, but despite the familiar faces, this band has a sound all their own. The soundtrack for a walking through a park on a cold, wintry afternoon to admire the bare trees and frosted grass, Dark Småland is full of dense, textured and melancholy music that is so skillfully rendered that I am rejuvenated by its melodies rather than saddened by them. The times that the band relies on repetition, be it riffs or motifs, surprisingly make for perhaps the most emotionally engaging sections of the album, as the haunting melodies grasp a hold of you, leaving no room for escape. Mackintosh's voice, often layered with one or two other singers backing her up, is absolutely transfixing, consistently drawing you into the thick, complex music behind it. There is enough variation (a couple of slightly more upbeat tracks, a few instrumentals) to keep you on your toes, yet tonally, this one remains pretty dark, so keep some hot cocoa or a funny movie on-hand to turn to after this one finishes.

Key Tracks: "Ode to the Sea (http://www.cokemachineglow.com/audio/instruments_odetothesea.mp3)", "First Signs (http://www.last.fm/music/The+Instruments/_/First+Signs)", "Sounds Electric (http://www.last.fm/music/The+Instruments/_/Sounds+Electric)"

[Derek]

the wolf parade album is good, but it was a non-event, unfortunately, and i could never remember to listen to it.

Yeah, I was shocked how it almost flew completely under the radar. Only CMG seemed to love it and I can only wonder if they placed it so high in part because no one else seemed to give it much credit.


language city is a really neat song. i couldn't get behind krug's offerings as much.

edit: random spirit lover is your favorite of 07? wow, interesting pick.

I love Krug, but I prefer his offerings in Sunset Rubdown to Wolf Parade. And yes, I'm a huge fan of Random Spirit Lover and haven't listened to another album even close to as much as that one since it was released.

[Derek]

That (#25) will probably be my last entry until after Christmas, but I have a quick question. Is anyone using (or planning to use) the links I provide for the songs? I don't mind doing it at all if even one person finds them useful, but it gets pretty time-consuming since not every song is easy to find and I'd rather stop if no one wants them.

[Melville]

That (#25) will probably be my last entry until after Christmas, but I have a quick question. Is anyone using (or planning to use) the links I provide for the songs?
Most definitely. I've been listening to at least one per album.

[Boner M]

I haven't heard any of these. Been meaning to check out the Wire; I really dug Send.

Have to admit I'm still trawling through keyin's list (ps - Kingdom Shore sux, Vivian Girls rulz), so I'll get back to yours later.

[dreamdead]

Is anyone using (or planning to use) the links I provide for the songs? I don't mind doing it at all if even one person finds them useful, but it gets pretty time-consuming since not every song is easy to find and I'd rather stop if no one wants them.

I went through your '07 list sometime back in February and discovered 3 or 4 bands that I would have never found (A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Pantha du Prince, Sunset Rubdown) because of the audio tracks, so I find the links most helpful. Especially when I've got a little extra cash, I can wander these threads and find something that otherwise escapes my notice.

The Instruments have a tender sound from the samples. I like. Kinda wish some of these tracks were extended out, though, as it seems they're ending just as the melody settles in.

[Derek]

Most definitely. I've been listening to at least one per album.

Cool, then I'll keep them coming. I forgot to mention it, but I do put them in preferential order so the first track is always my favorite.


I haven't heard any of these. Been meaning to check out the Wire; I really dug Send.

Have to admit I'm still trawling through keyin's list (ps - Kingdom Shore sux, Vivian Girls rulz), so I'll get back to yours later.

I hadn't heard anything from Wire other than Pink Flag, but I read a great review of it on CMG. It was in my top 30 until I relistened to a few other albums on the brink and decided to include them as well. I'll have to check out a couple more of their older albums as well as more recent stuff like Send.

I didn't like Kingdom Shore either and found it too grating for the minimal payoff. I don't get the Vivian Girls love, but I wasn't big on Sleater-Kinney's The Woods (aside from "Modern Girl" which is head-and-heels above every other track) so maybe the lo-fi, garage rock girl groups aren't my thing. I really dig Marnie Stern, though she's doing her own thing with the finger-picking and all.

As for getting to my list, I'll be going pretty slow, so it'll probably take me another couple weeks to finish this.


I went through your '07 list sometime back in February and discovered 3 or 4 bands that I would have never found (A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Pantha du Prince, Sunset Rubdown) because of the audio tracks, so I find the links most helpful. Especially when I've got a little extra cash, I can wander these threads and find something that otherwise escapes my notice.

Awesome, I remembered you loved Sunset Rubdown, but didn't remember you loving Sunny Day or Pantha.


The Instruments have a tender sound from the samples. I like. Kinda wish some of these tracks were extended out, though, as it seems they're ending just as the melody settles in.

The whole album is really solid if you like their sound. Are there any songs that are incomplete aside from the ones I marked as "live" or "clip"? If so, list them and I'll see if there's anything else out there. Unfortunately, for the less mainstream stuff, a lot of blogs that had them linked no longer have them online.

[keyinblack]

i can relate to how time-consuming the links are, but I've been listening to all of them.

might want to try zshare and just uploading the songs yrself. that way there's no fear that the links may get broken.

[keyinblack]

Yeah, I was shocked how it almost flew completely under the radar. Only CMG seemed to love it and I can only wonder if they placed it so high in part because no one else seemed to give it much credit.
Yep. Glad to see someone else reading CMG. Although they more often than not have some of the worst written reviews (in terms of undergrad-english-major) and are a little too self-conscious they have very good taste. They seem to be the last outlet for me that highlights artists I would never discover, yet are aligned with my taste.

p.s. kingdom shore rox. but then again, i just envision it as a horror movie soundtrack and let my imagination run wild.

[keyinblack]

shame you don't like the woods, to me it's like top 5 rock albums of the decade.

[Boner M]

p.s. kingdom shore rox. but then again, i just envision it as a horror movie soundtrack and let my imagination run wild.
Have you heard Penderecki? To me the Kingdom Shore sounds like a valiant but ultimately futile attempt to recreate Penderecki; I won't argue that there isn't virtuosity involved, but as with much of that indie classical stuff, it comes across as such a blatantly pale imitation that I can't find any value in it at all. Besides, Jonny Greenwood did it much much, better for the There Will Be Blood soundtrack.

[keyinblack]

Have you heard Penderecki? To me the Kingdom Shore sounds like a valiant but ultimately futile attempt to recreate Penderecki; I won't argue that there isn't virtuosity involved, but as with much of that indie classical stuff, it comes across as such a blatantly pale imitation that I can't find any value in it at all. Besides, Jonny Greenwood did it much much, better for the There Will Be Blood soundtrack.
Haven't consciously heard any Penderecki, but I'll check some out. Would you recommend anything in particular?

The There Will Be Blood soundtrack is okay, sometimes heavy-handed, even for some of it's avant-guarde qualities.

Speaking of indie classical, have you heard that Nico Muhly album from this year? It's pretty interesting, with obvious Steve Reich influences, but definitely some fascinating parts.

[Boner M]

Speaking of indie classical, have you heard that Nico Muhly album from this year? It's pretty interesting, with obvious Steve Reich influences, but definitely some fascinating parts.
Cool, I'll check it out. Steve Reich (and minimalist composers in general) is a better person to emulate.

As for Penderecki, I've only got his Orchestral Works Vol. 1. I'll come out and say that I'm a classical n00b (it's all so... confusing), so I shouldn't have got all high and mighty about K.Shore's derivativeness. "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" is probably his most famous piece; you'd have heard it in Children of Men, during the climactic street battle sequence.

[transmogrifier]

shame you don't like the woods, to me it's like top 5 rock albums of the decade.

This post is just dripping in the glistening sheen of truth. Awesome album on every level.

[Melville]

As for Penderecki, I've only got his Orchestral Works Vol. 1. I'll come out and say that I'm a classical n00b (it's all so... confusing), so I shouldn't have got all high and mighty about K.Shore's derivativeness. "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" is probably his most famous piece; you'd have heard it in Children of Men, during the climactic street battle sequence.
A bunch of his songs appear on the Inland Empire soundtrack too. His music is pretty nerve-wracking.

[Derek]

i can relate to how time-consuming the links are, but I've been listening to all of them.

might want to try zshare and just uploading the songs yrself. that way there's no fear that the links may get broken.

I would, but most of my music is on my external drive back in CA. I'll probably do that for some of the songs later on, since I'll be back before I finish this up.

Also, I'm planning on posting a big ole zip file of my top 50 songs which I'll reveal at the end, or some time sooner if I need a break.


Yep. Glad to see someone else reading CMG. Although they more often than not have some of the worst written reviews (in terms of undergrad-english-major) and are a little too self-conscious they have very good taste. They seem to be the last outlet for me that highlights artists I would never discover, yet are aligned with my taste.

Exactly. Their Foucault/Pantha du Prince is a perfect example of ridiculously pompous, intellectual posturing (though it was kinda funny) that, in the end, still led me to discovering an amazing album.


shame you don't like the woods, to me it's like top 5 rock albums of the decade.

I don't mean to suggest I don't like the album, but it just doesn't come close to blowing me away. It's all I've heard from them actually, so I'll have to go back and listen to a couple earlier albums and return to this one again.

[Derek]

#24

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Leila - Blood, Looms & Blooms

Leila's resume, her playing keyboard for Bjork in particular, was what drew me to her, and throughout this album, you can tell what caught the ear of the Icelandic pixie. From the beat-driven, electronic ambiance of the album's first and best track, "Mollie" and the childlike noodling of the follow-up "Time to Blow" to the hip-pop grooves behind "Little Acorns" and the Portishead imitation, "Daisies, Cats and Spacement", Blood, Looms & Blooms wastes no time announcing its all-over-the-mapness and creating a sense of playfulness that reminds me never to take it too seriously. Its not terribly complex, but the fact that Leila succeeds so admirably at genre-hopping (and shows an affinity for Add N to (X) on "Mettle" ferchrissakes) is good enough for me. For an album that never really settles itself in, it's remarkable how consistently good and purely entertaining it is, even if ultimately this feels like a talented artists messing around with some new toys.

Key Tracks: "Mollie (http://www.sendspace.com/file/n41a8z)" (link to dl), "Mettle (http://hypem.com/track/566008/Leila-Mettle)", "Little Acorns (http://hypem.com/track/587568/Leila-Little+Acorns)"

Bonus video b/c the lack of instrumental odes to the art of dolphin communication saddens me: "Lush Dolphins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZDy1aaZUDQ&feature=related)"

[Derek]

#23

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1322533.jpg

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

From Pitchfork to the counters of Starbucks, the solemn and sprightly folk tunes of Fleet Foxes were inescapable in 2008, but fortunately its exposure wasn’t enough to turn this sweet music sour. The harmonizing vocals and rich, pastoral melodies value simplicity and directness, making the album emotionally immediate rather than anything of earth-shattering originality as the praise it’s garnered suggests. Every time I return to the album however, I am wowed by the efficiency of the songwriting and the consistency of the album. In my limited exposure into folk music, I’ve found that even the best albums have a few songs where my interest lulls and this is one this Fleet Foxes debut lacks. It’s not Unhalfbricking or early Dylan (that’d the other folk album quite a few spots higher on this list [/foreshadowing]), but for the modest effort it comes across as, it stands apart from most music that’s remotely similar.

Key Tracks: "White Winter Hymnal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQRS40OKNE)", “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRfBqoGVFXc&feature=related)”, “He Doesn’t Know Why (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brZTvGIzeGg&feature=related)”

[Melville]

Leila - Blood, Looms & Blooms
I just finished listening to this. The three tracks you highlighted were a lot better than any other single track on the album, but the eclectic heterogeneity of the entire album works really well as a whole.

[Derek]

I just finished listening to this. The three tracks you highlighted were a lot better than any other single track on the album, but the eclectic heterogeneity of the entire album works really well as a whole.

Glad you especially liked the same tracks as I did. I completely agree with you that the sum of the album is greater than its parts.

[Derek]

#22

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1185584.jpg

Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping

Since, despite the critical praise, I found Stars follow-up to Set Yourself on Fire to be a relative dud and Rilo Kiley has been on the decline, the spot for sugary-sweet indie pop with a cute lead singer (Feist is on her own, so she’s close but no cigar) has been vacant and out of nowhere comes Headlights. And god, forget about what I said about Fleet Foxes and modesty because Some Racing, Some Stopping is about as unassuming an album I’ve heard all year. This easily could’ve become victim to the spin once and move on technique this mp3-laden world has driven me to, but there’s something in the innocence of Headlights music that, along with its catchiness, keeps drawing me back to it. And look, I’ll be blatantly up-front about the fact that this music is so sweet it occasionally borders on maudlin, but I’ll be damned if that prevents me from enjoying the soothing sexiness of Erin Rein’s delicate voice and the tight instrumental work that backs her. There isn’t a single second of this album that’s showy because Headlights know their strengths, their limitations and how to squeeze out minor miracles within that range. Aside from one small slip-up near the end with “Catch Them All” this album is nothing but one great pop song after another.

Key Tracks: “Get Your Head Around It (http://hypem.com/track/706622/Headlights-Get+Your+Head+Around+It)”, “So Much For the Afternoon (http://hypem.com/track/667478/Headlights-So+Much+For+The+Afternoon)” (here's a leisurely, mostly instrumental, track that works better in the context of the album, but I still love it), “Towers (http://hypem.com/track/569105/Headlights-Towers)”

[Milky Joe]

Very nice pick. Thought I was the only one who'd heard it. And I very much agree about its unassumingness. "Cherry Tulips" is one of my favorite tracks of the year.

[Derek]

A pick for teh bonerz.


#21

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1130042.jpg

Times New Viking - Rip It Off

I’m not an avid fan of garage rock, but the lo-fi, noise rock element that Times New Viking gives it unique that combined with an occasional pop mentality makes for music that is messy yet fresh, rough yet catchy. Like their distant lo-fi cousins Guided By Voices, Times New Viking favor brevity to complexity, choosing showmanship in the vain of George Constanza. Hit that high note and say goodnight. Complaints of the bands tendency to mask the simplicity of their songs with noise seem misguided as the noise is precisely what makes the songs interesting. From the thumping grooves of “The Early 80s” to wicked riff that drives “Teen Drama”, TNV’s music has an immediacy and energy quite unlike any album I’ve heard all year.

Key Tracks: “The Early 80s (http://www.recidivism.org/music/tnv80s.mp3)”, “Teen Drama (http://hypem.com/track/626856/Times+New+Viking-Teen+Drama)”, “The Apt. (http://hypem.com/track/583193/Times+New+Viking-The+Apt.)”

[Boner M]

I believe I heard - and enjoyed! - that one. Good selection, might I say.

[Derek]

I believe I heard - and enjoyed! - that one. Good selection, might I say.

Actually, I know you're heard and loved my next pick and if you haven't heard the one after that, I expect you'll like it a good deal as well once you do. Should get to both tomorrow.

[Derek]

Very nice pick. Thought I was the only one who'd heard it. And I very much agree about its unassumingness. "Cherry Tulips" is one of my favorite tracks of the year.

"Cherry Tulips" is another great track. It was the odd one out of the three tracks I chose, but it's just as good as those others. I'm not sure why this didn't get much press considering a number of critics are big on Stars and Rilo Kiley.

[Derek]

#20

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1458538.jpg

NOMO - Ghost Rock

The year’s grooviest album leaves me with the difficult task of trying to convince you that a band essentially making jazz-rock isn’t just another corny fusion band. Ghost Rock is a funky beast of an album containing some of the most danceable music released this year and yet it is infused with more than enough traditional jazz riffs to please that crowd as well. A few tracks, most noticeably the astounding “Rings”, are built around textured layers that pull the ear in several directions while creating a sound that is as unique as it is beautiful. Other tracks like “My Dear” give the guitar a little more flexing to do, but all of them are fun, rocking the afrobeat like there’s no tomorrow and highlighting the talents of every last musician without sacrificing the unity that holds each individual song together.

Key Tracks: “Rings (http://hypem.com/track/701824/Nomo-Rings)”, “All the Stars (http://hypem.com/track/632399/Nomo-All+The+Stars)”, “Brainwave (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxbMWGH6SFE)” (live)

[Derek]

#19

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1566420.jpg

Snowman - The Horse, the Rat & the Swan

In a year with no new Liars album, Snowman filled the void with their absolutely vicious post-punk, conceived in a remote cave while covered in dirt and dripping with sweat. Or so I imagine when I listen to this album that is so terrifying it's invigorating, its wicked bass lines driving each song into a seeming oblivion as the aggressive vocals and guitarwork get the blood pumping with their manic sense of urgency and despair. But as dark as this album gets at times, it's too thrilling to leave you sulking at the sidelines of the concert hall, instead rubbing mud in your face and throwing you into the shit, whether you like it or not. Sure, "She's Turning Into You" sounds like an audition for getting into Drum's Not Dead, but despite the slight derivativeness of that track, it gives you a chance to catch your breath before being swept away by the insanity of part 2 of "The Horse" and finally the transcendent "Diamond Wounds", which may be the album closer of the year. That is, if you manage to make it that far.

Key Tracks: “The Horse (Part 2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7AJttvc96A)” (parts 1 & 2 are together as one track, but part 2, the last 2:45, is the part you want to hear and a highlight of the album) , “Diamond Wounds (http://www.last.fm/music/Snowman/_/Diamond+Wounds)”, “Our Mother (She Remembers) (http://www.myspace.com/thesnowmanempire)”

EDIT: Why do Aussies do post-punk so well, boner? Or is it that there tend to be more bands going that direction down there and only the good ones make it off the island?

[Boner M]

EDIT: Why do Aussies do post-punk so well, boner? Or is it that there tend to be more bands going that direction down there and only the good ones make it off the island?
The latter. There are so so so many garbage post-punk bands here (esp. Sydney) that I've neglected to check out the good ones by proxy. Although I have enjoyed the Snowman tracks before, and will seek out the album especially after its placement here.

The only Aussie albums I heard this year were The Drones and Fabulous Diamonds, both of which are in my top ten.

[keyinblack]

I've heard some of that Snowman album and it sounded great.

I guess I should pick up the Nomo album too.

[transmogrifier]

I've heard some of that Snowman album and it sounded great.

I guess I should pick up the Nomo album too.

I notice you haven't mentioned anything about the Portishead - I'll assume you don't like it, so that I can look at you like you're crazy in much the same way you look at me when I talk about AC.

[keyinblack]

I notice you haven't mentioned anything about the Portishead - I'll assume you don't like it, so that I can look at you like you're crazy in much the same way you look at me when I talk about AC.
it's sitting on my desktop.

i swear, i'll give it a spin, but from the singles (the rip and machine gun) i heard, it sounds pretty 9o's to me.

but i'll give it a fair listen.

[Boner M]

it's sitting on my desktop.

i swear, i'll give it a spin, but from the singles (the rip and machine gun) i heard, it sounds pretty 9o's to me.

but i'll give it a fair listen.
"Machine Gun" only really makes sense in the album's context, coming after "Deep Water". "The Rip" is awesome, and doesn't sound particularly 90's to me. None of the album really does - it's timelessness and versatility are its greatest assets. And what's inherently wrong with the 90's anyway?

I think you'll dig "We Carry On" at the very least.

[Boner M]

Also I bought the Snowman album today and will listen to it later tonight.

[Melville]

I downloaded the Times New Viking album today. Good stuff. The use of noise reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth.

[Derek]

#18

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1222550.jpg

The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion

For all the praise laid Vampire Weekend’s debut for its globehopping sound, in the end, I’ll take the folkier hodgepodge of The Ruby Suns. Sea Lion sets the perfect tone with album opener “Blue Penguin” as lone, somber guitar notes give way to long, stretched out melodies that define the album’s relaxed feel. This laid back attitude is not always defined by speed as the next songs “Oh Mojave” (only partially ruined by those damned Microsoft ads) and “Tane Mahuta” pick up the pace with an infectious blend of pop, folk and tribal music. The rest of the album is just as all over the place, from the smooth electric grooves of “There Are Birds” and Flaming Lipsesque “Kenya” to the magical simplicity of “Ole Rinka” or the ambience-laden comedown track “Morning Sun” (which oddly transitions into a great new wave two-thirds of the way through), but the vocal harmonizing and flurry of minor sonic touches are more than enough to keep things interesting even in its quieter moments.

Key Tracks: “There Are Birds (http://hypem.com/track/713435/The+Ruby+Suns-There+Are+Birds)”, “Kenya Dig It (http://hypem.com/track/567427/The+Ruby+Suns-Kenya+Dig+it%3F+(Album))”, “Oh Mojave (http://hypem.com/track/667477/The+Ruby+Suns-Oh%2C+Mojave)”

[Derek]

#17

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1468193.jpg

Datassette - Datassette

2008 was unquestionably a lean year for good electronic music, but while most of the hyped albums of the genre weren’t up to snuff, I was lucky enough to make two great discoveries, both almost by accident. The first of these, Datassette’s self-titled debut LP, is such a perfect release for this year if only for its ability to scratch the itch of nearly every type of techno-based music I enjoy. The darker, heavier beats of the album’s masterpiece, “Remains” (one of the best tracks of the year), the aching minimalism of “Running Away”, the rocktronica of “Minus Fourteen”, the glacial dub of “Worms” and "Vapour Trails" and the vast, surreal ambience of “Melting Faces” all bring something different to the table while Datassette’s acute sense of rhythm and sound unites them. Sometimes barren and cold, other times brisk and upbeat, this album is sharp, making for one of the year’s most surprising and undervalued albums.

Key Tracks: “Remains”, “Running Away”, “Minus Fourteen” (http://www.sendspace.com/file/o4haue) - couldn't find anything online, so here are these three songs on a ZIP file.

[Derek]

Also I bought the Snowman album today and will listen to it later tonight.

Saw your rating on RYM - glad you liked it. Any thoughts?


I downloaded the Times New Viking album today. Good stuff. The use of noise reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth.

That's a good comparison even if the end results are pretty different. Both bands use noise to enhance their sound rather than distract from it.

We'll have to see what our resident SY expert trans has to say, since he tends to dislike most hipster-than-thou bands like his buddy Armond. :)

[Derek]

#16

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1381702.jpg

Jim Noir - Jim Noir

60s psychedelic pop has been a major influence on more bands than I could even imagine, but most of the time it is found in bursts or single tracks where the rest of the time it is buried beneath more traditional modern music. Jim Noir says fuck that, leaving nostalgia and a fondness for the days when mainstream pop could actually be challenging right at the forefront while bringing a his own unique flair to make an album that is lost in time, rather than simply stuck in the past. The production is particularly brilliant, perfectly mixing crisp and fuzzed out sounds, taking the palette of 60s and 70s pop and transforming it into something gorgeous and new. My favorite track of the year, “Happy Day Today”, is the perfect example of this technique, starting off with those Wendy Carlos keyboards before breaking into a fuzzy electric guitar riff backed by a different clean acoustic guitar and layered, harmonized vocals. This technique is used differently on every track – “All Right” mixes vocodered vocals into a groovy beat that sounds like the softer side of Beck, while “Look Around You” and “Good Old Vinyl” are brimming with love for British pop, but are infused with a sense of humor that prevents them from leaning towards the derivative. With all the love Girl Talk’s mash-ups have been getting this year, this is the kind of postmodern pastiche that really deserves all the love. I can think of few albums that take established sounds and filter them so effectively into something so full of creativity, joy and originality this one.

Key Tracks: “Happy Day Today (http://hypem.com/track/509170/Jim+Noir-Happy+Day+Today)”, “On A Different Shelf (http://www.sendspace.com/file/xufy8w)”, “All Right (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6dApsMJO_I)”

[keyinblack]

2008 was unquestionably a lean year for good electronic music
I disagree. lean in comparison to what years? 2007?

basing off my personal tastes, I found lindstrom's where you go i go too to be a tour de force of electronic music that set a high standard. also luomo's convivial not only put him back in the limelight, but demonstrated that he's still a master of the genre (i guess how most feel about portishead's return this year). and altho i'm not well versed in the remix/DJ scene I find HEALTH's remix album to be constantly interesting if very contemporary and the DJ /rupture album very compelling.

altho this choice you put up sounds up my alley; i'm downloading the zip now.

fantastic list so far, you really ran the gamut this year.

[Derek]

I disagree. lean in comparison to what years? 2007?

Should've specified - compared to 2007. There was no Pantha du Prince or The Field to knock my socks off.


basing off my personal tastes, I found lindstrom's where you go i go too to be a tour de force of electronic music that set a high standard. also luomo's convivial not only put him back in the limelight, but demonstrated that he's still a master of the genre (i guess how most feel about portishead's return this year). and altho i'm not well versed in the remix/DJ scene I find HEALTH's remix album to be constantly interesting if very contemporary and the DJ /rupture album very compelling.

altho this choice you put up sounds up my alley; i'm downloading the zip now.

fantastic list so far, you really ran the gamut this year.

Wasn't big on the Luomo, HEALTH, DJ/Rupture or Hercules and Love Affair though all were fairly good. I really liked both the Lindstrom and Flying Lotus, so it's not as if there weren't any good electronic albums. I was simply disappointed by most of the highly touted ones.

I think you'll dig Datassette, at least a few tracks. There's something for everyone on that disk.

Glad you're enjoying the list. I'm planning to cut back at least a little next year, but I'll still try out a little of everything and it's nice already having my #1 all but sealed up.

[keyinblack]

true, the pantha du prince was fantastic, and the field was fun for like a week to me. it was all PURE COLD WHITE LIGHT and then predictable gimmick. I prefer the gui boratto that came out over it.

i wonder if it's even appropriate to associate burial w/ electronic, but that album is really something special.

[transmogrifier]

We'll have to see what our resident SY expert trans has to say, since he tends to dislike most hipster-than-thou bands like his buddy Armond. :)

As soon as I saw that comparison, I was like "I gotta download that right now"

But then I forgot.

Then, as soon as I saw this post, I was like "Oh, that's right, I was gonna download that, I should do that now."

But, as soon as I started to reply to this post, I was like "Oh yeah, I'm out the door to get pissed for New Year's, so I'll probably do it sometime early in 2009, providing I don't forget".

And then I pressed "Submit Reply".

[Melville]

As soon as I saw that comparison, I was like "I gotta download that right now"
Keep in mind that I don't know what I'm talking about.

Edit: after listening to some Sonic Youth just now, I'm not so sure the comparison is apt. Sonic Youth usually uses noise as one layer of sound amongst others, with the noise playing off the other sounds, whereas Times New Viking uses it to expand or accentuate what's already there. Or something like that.

[Derek]

true, the pantha du prince was fantastic, and the field was fun for like a week to me. it was all PURE COLD WHITE LIGHT and then predictable gimmick. I prefer the gui boratto that came out over it.

Bah, The Field is some of the best ambient techno I've heard. It's built around repetition though, so I know it's not to everyone's liking. I really liked the Boratto from last year too, especially "Xilo" and "Beautiful Life".


i wonder if it's even appropriate to associate burial w/ electronic, but that album is really something special.

Most dubstep leaves me cold, but I came around to enjoying Untrue if not being completely blown away by it. I actually liked Pole's album, also dub, a bit more.

And that reminds me of Bug's London Zoo. I actively disliked that one - 'nother in that long line of hyped '08 electronic music that I couldn't get into.

[Acapelli]

nice to see gui boratto get mentioned, since he's usually forgotten when it comes to minimal techno from last year in favor of pantha du prince and the field, who i never really got into

too bad you didn't like the bug's london zoo. it's definitely the best album i heard this year. i love the way it combines dubstep, grime and dancehall into an ominous yet danceable sound

"electronic music" is such a broad category that it's kind of hard to say one way or another whether it was good in 2008. especially when you mention health, h&la, luomo and dj/ rupture; all are vastly different from one another. i thought it was a pretty good year, especially for synth pop, balearic, and disco

[keyinblack]

honest to god bug's album scares me a little.

the bass and grime are just so confrontational and massive, i often find it uncomfortable and not very fun to listen to.

[Boner M]

I love London Zoo, though I still can't get down with the Warrior Queen tracks. They just make me uncomfortable in a bad way.

[Derek]

#15

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s860248.jpg

Paavoharju - Laulu laakson kukista

Music from the New Weird Finland, has the stigma of either being spare, depressing acoustic folk with ghostly voices or sonic madness in the vain of Kemialliset Ystavat. And sure, much of it is and I love the aforementioned Ystavat as much as the Islaja’s and Lau Nau, but Paavoharju’s new unpronounceable album shows Finland not as a bleak, snow-laden, isolated country, but one perfectly aware of the vast musical styles out there. This isn’t to suggest that this album isn’t strange, because boy is it ever, but to suggest that this music can be open, adventurous and even occasionally joyful. The ambient wave of “Pimeankarkelo” is followed immediately by the upbeat techno track, “Kevatrumpu”, the years most singularly bizarre song, which you’ll either dig or hate with ever fiber of your being. Paavoharju haven’t lost the distinct sound they established on their debut either, but they have expanded their sound, becoming more inclusive. What they lost in cohesiveness is more than made up for by their successful experimentation in multiple genres, from ambient to dance to ballads. But don’t worry, it’s still the perfect record for a stroll through a bare forest on a snowy winter day.

Key Tracks: “Tytto Tanssii (http://vimeo.com/1002632)”, “Kevatrumpu (http://gvsbchris.com/kevatrumpu.mp3)”, “Pimeankarkelo”

[Derek]

#14

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1276946.jpg

Our Sleepless Forest - Our Sleepless Forest

Speaking of stigma’s, ambient music too has a big one – that it is created as mere background noise, to be left swirling in the back of your mind while you focus on more important things. Now, certainly that’s the case with much of it and I personally will usually listen to music while doing other things, but there’s a difference between including it in your daily routines and simply not hearing it. Our Sleepless Forest walk that thin line, bringing a brand of dreamlike ambient music that’s easy to get lost in, but its consistent use of guitars, percussion and found sounds put it squarely in the group of ambient albums that need to be heard to appreciate. Layer upon beautiful layer are tacked on in nearly every track, wonderfully produced so that each instrument and sound enhance the others rather than relegate them to the background. The Animal Collective-inspired, running-through-the-forest “Nomads” and the shoegazer melody “White Bird” are the highlights, but all 8 tracks are really solid, which I find to be a rarity for the genre.

Key Tracks: “Nomads (http://www.cokemachineglow.com/track_review/3586/our-sleepless-forest)”, “White Bird (http://www.last.fm/music/Our+Sleepless+Forest/_/White+Bird)”, “The Tinderbox (http://www.last.fm/music/Our+Sleepless+Forest/_/The+Tinderbox)”

[Winston*]

We'll have to see what our resident SY expert trans has to say, since he tends to dislike most hipster-than-thou bands like his buddy Armond. :)

He sure makes a lot of posts about the LCD Soundsystem.

[keyinblack]

yeah, i'll have to pick up that last one too. cmg raved about it so it's worth a listen.

[Melville]

“Kevatrumpu (http://gvsbchris.com/kevatrumpu.mp3)”
Awesome. I'll probably download this album later today.

[Derek]

He sure makes a lot of posts about the LCD Soundsystem.

trans is never shy about reminding us who his favorite artists are, that's for sure. :)


yeah, i'll have to pick up that last one too. cmg raved about it so it's worth a listen.

Your mileage may very for that type of ambience, but I think you'll at least really like "Nomads".


Awesome. I'll probably download this album later today.

Awesome, let me know what you think. It's a strange album, but overwhelmingly beautiful at times too.

[Derek]

#13

http://www.gridface.com/reviews/images/five.jpg

Another Electronic Musician - Five

Like Datassette, Another Electronic Musician is, ahem, another electronic musician I came across almost by accident and whose music I found more satisfying than almost all the others getting critical attention. Five is not album of intense originality or depth, but it hits all the right notes. There is something pure about its efficiency and simplicity while its perfect mix of ambient techno and dub flavors creates a sound that is as cold as it is smooth, its sound at once expansive and pointed. It’s one of the most underrated albums of the year and all I can do is my part to help it not become a lost gem.

Key Tracks: “Amidst (http://www.last.fm/music/Another+Electronic+Musician/_/Amidst)”, “Drive (http://www.last.fm/music/Another+Electronic+Musician/_/Drive?autostart)”, “Five (http://www.anotherelectronicmusician. com/#)” (under the aem.nav menu on the left, click audio and it’s the first track)

[transmogrifier]

trans is never shy about reminding us who his favorite artists are, that's for sure. :)


I challenge you to name my top 10.......:)

[Derek]

I challenge you to name my top 10.......:)

Ok, ok, let's just say there are a few artists who you mention repeatedly. I didn't mean it as a bad thing!

Sonic Youth
Portishead
Nick Cave
LCD Soundsystem
CAN
Fiery Furnaces
...other modern bands without Wolf or other animal references in their name ;)

Anywhere close?

EDIT: And I'll add The Clash and Modern Lovers as wild cards.

[transmogrifier]

Ok, ok, let's just say there are a few artists who you mention repeatedly. I didn't mean it as a bad thing!

Sonic Youth
Portishead
Nick Cave
LCD Soundsystem
CAN
Fiery Furnaces
...other modern bands without Wolf or other animal references in their name ;)

Anywhere close?

EDIT: And I'll add The Clash and Modern Lovers as wild cards.

Not bad:

Sonic Youth
Radiohead
PJ Harvey
Sleater-Kinney
The Fiery Furnaces
The Clash
Electrelane
Tall Dwarfs
The Delgados
Can

Or something. I don't really have a Top 10 list, but they are the first ten that came to mind.

[Derek]

#12

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1397503.jpg

The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave

Dylan comparisons don’t do anyone any favors, but there’s no getting around the similarities between his and Kristian Matsson’s voices. However, none of Dylan’s early, pure folk albums sounded quite like this musically, so comparisons and complaints of derivativeness can stop right there. Tallest Man’s music is infused with its own unique melancholy, full of soulful crooning, crisp acoustic riffs and air of something anew brimming around the corner. The perfect soundtrack for the post-New Year days, Shallow Grave sparkles with a unique spirit, driven by its interesting production that allows every crackle in the vocals and twang of the guitar to be heard. It’s soft and sweet, yet emotionally invigorating and tragically personal – the kind of album that leaves me smiling while tears start to form. Simply beautiful from start to finish, this is the folk album that should’ve gotten everyone’s attention this year.

Key Tracks: “Honey Won’t You Let Me In (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV2OdtwsqeA)”, “I Won’t Be Found (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPOFuXkWLmo&feature=related)”, “The Sparrow and the Medicine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1auBKmIkVo)”

[Derek]

Not bad:

Sonic Youth
Radiohead
PJ Harvey
Sleater-Kinney
The Fiery Furnaces
The Clash
Electrelane
Tall Dwarfs
The Delgados
Can

Or something. I don't really have a Top 10 list, but they are the first ten that came to mind.

Radiohead was a no-brainer and I should've gotten PJ and Sleater-Kinney, but I associate those with Spinal so I forgot how much you loved them. Never would've guessed Electrelane or The Delgados. Really liked the first's album from last year but haven't heard more and haven't heard a note of The Delgados.

I've had the Tall Dwarfs comp for most of 2008 and still haven't gotten to it. I'll put it to the top of the list and get to it as soon as I'm done with this list.

[jesse]

I always enjoy reading your annual music lists, even though our musical tastes are about as different as could be (as in I need something I can sing along with :lol: ). Just can't muster up interest for ambient music, though judging from your opening line in the Our Sleepless Forest review I suspect you use it in the way I use foreign-language music.

That said, I'm on my way right now to d/l the Fleet Fox album--as I don't read Pitchfork or frequent Starbucks this is my first exposure to it and I love it already. The clips you posted of Headlights and The Ruby Suns also have me intrigued.

-jesse

[Derek]

I always enjoy reading your annual music lists, even though our musical tastes are about as different as could be (as in I need something I can sing along with :lol: ). Just can't muster up interest for ambient music, though judging from your opening line in the Our Sleepless Forest review I suspect you use it in the way I use foreign-language music.

That said, I'm on my way right now to d/l the Fleet Fox album--as I don't read Pitchfork or frequent Starbucks this is my first exposure to it and I love it already. The clips you posted of Headlights and The Ruby Suns also have me intrigued.

-jesse

A Jesse Ataide sighting. :eek:

Thanks for chipping in and I'm glad you enjoy reading them, especially since this is the only time all year I spend much time actually writing about music. I don't know if you've tried out any of the Jim Noir album, but that's one you might have a chance of liking. Very melodic and I actually do find myself humming/singing along with most of it. And as I mentioned, 60s pop is clearly a major influence to much of the album. Let me know what you think of that or Headlights/Ruby Suns if you check any of them out further.

I understand your inability to get into ambient music, but I have a tendency to fall for music that is dreamlike and that's definitely how I find the best of that music to be. If you find it too dull or boring, maybe sample some ambient techno, particularly The Field (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXiyAFhFbco&feature=related) or Pantha du Prince (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkEItawfg3Q) albums I mentioned earlier. Not much to sing along to, but I can't help but try. ;)

Also, what's your current e-mail address? You can PM it if you'd rather not post it here. I've been meaning to e-mail you about film festivals since I have a couple questions for you, but it kept slipping my mind.

[Boner M]

JESSE!!!

Actually, I think J should enjoy the Tallest Man on Earth album a lot too.

[Winston*]

I like that TTMOE album a whole bunch. That's two I've heard, yay!

[jesse]

A Jesse Ataide sighting. :eek:

Thanks for chipping in and I'm glad you enjoy reading them, especially since this is the only time all year I spend much time actually writing about music. I don't know if you've tried out any of the Jim Noir album, but that's one you might have a chance of liking. Very melodic and I actually do find myself humming/singing along with most of it. And as I mentioned, 60s pop is clearly a major influence to much of the album. Let me know what you think of that or Headlights/Ruby Suns if you check any of them out further.

I understand your inability to get into ambient music, but I have a tendency to fall for music that is dreamlike and that's definitely how I find the best of that music to be. If you find it too dull or boring, maybe sample some ambient techno, particularly The Field (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXiyAFhFbco&feature=related) or Pantha du Prince (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkEItawfg3Q) albums I mentioned earlier. Not much to sing along to, but I can't help but try. ;)

Also, what's your current e-mail address? You can PM it if you'd rather not post it here. I've been meaning to e-mail you about film festivals since I have a couple questions for you, but it kept slipping my mind. It's weird... it would seem ambient music is a genre that'd suit my sensibilities, but the fact of the matter is by and large the voice of a singer is non-classical music's chief pleasure for me. I'll look into Jim Noir (I liked the first song you posted, the other two didn't grab in the same way) and also the links you posted above.

My email is jesse.ataide@gmail.com. I suppose anybody else is welcome to write me there too! :P

[jesse]

JESSE!!!

Actually, I think J should enjoy the Tallest Man on Earth album a lot too. Good call--I really like the first two songs, I'm just going now to click on the third...

[Kurosawa Fan]

#12

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The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave

Dylan comparisons don’t do anyone any favors, but there’s no getting around the similarities between his and Kristian Matsson’s voices. However, none of Dylan’s early, pure folk albums sounded quite like this musically, so comparisons and complaints of derivativeness can stop right there.

No. They can't. This guy is like an impersonator. Except his lyrics aren't as skillful and he doesn't have Dylan's range. Most of his songs sound similar to each other, and frankly, they're kinda boring. I'm surprised so many Dylan fans like this guy. He's like listening to a mediocre version of Dylan himself. I'll stick with the real thing.

[Acapelli]

other than the voices i don't see any similarities between dylan and ttmoe

[Derek]

other than the voices i don't see any similarities between dylan and ttmoe

Agreed. I think he definitely has his own sound going on musically.

[Kurosawa Fan]

You guys are either fooling yourselves or you aren't that familiar with Dylan's early work.

[Acapelli]

nah, we're all just playing a big joke on you to rile you up

Kurosawa Fan,

[Melville]

Awesome, let me know what you think. It's a strange album, but overwhelmingly beautiful at times too.
Man, beautiful is right. The flurry of sounds, the pounding beat, fuzz, tinkling bells(?) and breathy vocals on Kevatrampu is probably the high point. But everything is great, from the carnival melancholy of Italialaisella laivalla and Alania to the mellow balladry of Tyttö tanssii. The whole album is amazingly atmospheric.

[Boner M]

Yeah, I'm really digging Paavoharju at the moment. "Kevätrumpu" sounds like Kylie Minogue turned into a forest spirit, and I mean that in a good way.

[Derek]

#11

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Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too

If music could be filtered into an alcoholic beverage, I would be ordering a Lindstrom quite often – one part Tangerine Dream, another part ambient techno, two parts Krautrock and whisper of disco, chilled on ice, of course. Lindstrom, like The Field’s brilliant From Here We Go Sublime from last year, structures his songs with repetitive beats and recurring rhythms that drive his songs, keeping them in constant motion, while various secondary riffs and effects crawl forth from and return to oblivion. Lindstrom’s music is if anything full of consistency yet consistently surprising as well. The nearly 30 minutes of the title track are full of wonderful subtleties from precisely timed key changes to perfectly orchestrated builds that hit like combo punches. “The Long Way Home” on the other hand begins immediately with competing rhythms with a slow plucking guitar riff pit against an impatient synth…until about 6½ minutes in, disco chimes and heavy bass take the song in a whole new direction, each layer unique yet complementing the whole. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for this kind of music, but more often than not, the end result isn’t as tight and refined as Where You Go I Go Too.

Key Track: All three are great, but my favorite is “The Long Way Home (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q58iO_OH9Ts)” (6-minute cut of a 16-minute track...10+minute song aren't easy to find outside of downloading)

[Derek]

#10

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Indian Jewelry - Free Gold

Unless you want to classify my #8 pick as noise rock, which I don’t particularly want to do, Indian Jewelry’s Free Gold goes down as the best noise rock album of the year. And even for these guys, the term seems too limiting since is one of many alternating techniques that define their sound. As much as I love Times New Viking, their lo-fi, noisy sound was the major draw for me. Indian Jewelry get under your skin and like the best experimental bands are never content finding one thing that works and sticking with it. The swirling guitars of “Swans” that immediately lift the album into the clouds are followed by the pulsating synths of “Temporary Famine Ship” and the drowned out echoes of “Seasonal Economy”. Although the band is more Velvet Underground than Liars, it is in some ways similar to the latter’s self-titled album in that it remains distinctly their own while jumping all over in terms instruments and sounds being engaged. Indian Jewelry go one step further, going through the full gamut of vocal styles from distorted and Lou Reedesque talk-sing to the ghostly, folky female duo on the sole acoustic track, “Everyday”. I can try to cover everything the band does on this album but it’s literally an impossible accomplishment in a single paragraph. These guys (in two of the albums less, though still good, tracks nonetheless) follow up the aforementioned acoustic comedownness of “Everyday” with the frightening digereedoo-driven post-punk groove that opens “Hello Africa”. There’s only so many ways I can tempt you to check this album out.

Key Tracks: “Swans (http://vimeo.com/2408738)”, “Overdrive (http://hypem.com/track/533978/Indian+Jewelry-Overdrive)”, “Temporary Famine Ship (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6msswWFcPU&feature=related)”

[Derek]

#9

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Brian Eno & David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

I had been assuming that David Byrne’s most rewarding and productive days were behind him and that Brian Eno was more comfortable behind the mixing board improving the sound of every band lucky enough to get the Eno touch. Little did I know that not only were both assumptions misguided, but that the two would combine forces to create an absolutely astounding blend of gospel, rock and folk unlike these ears have heard ever before, let alone from either musician. Byrne’s voice is stellar and right up front on every track, flawlessly bringing life to his intensely personal lyrics as Eno works his magic taking songs that might otherwise have been simple though beautiful and transforming them into something subtly textured, fully realized, complex and alive. Look no further than the opening song, “Home”, which would be perfectly beautiful as simple acoustic piece, but here Byrne’s voice is downright angelic with the watery ambience that Eno fills the track out with. But lest you think this is an Eno-dominated sound, there’s my personal favorite “Everything That Happens” that remains simple as the two realize the chorus of Byrnes that hit the crescendo in the final minute (possibly the single most gorgeous single minute of music this year) are almost all you need to hit its transcendent punch. The album isn’t perfect, veering towards the corny with the beats and electric guitar on “I Feel My Stuff”, but it recovers miraculously from there, blending melancholy ballads with fun, upbeat and quirky rock-based tracks (and for humor you have Byrne using the word “baby-daddy” on “Life is Long”) that show both artists can still hit their peak.

“Everything That Happens (http://hypem.com/track/639050/David+Byrne+and+Brian+Eno-Everything+That+Happens)”, “Home (http://hypem.com/track/692094/David+Byrne+and+Brian+Eno-Home)”, “The River (http://www.pampelmoose.com/mspeaks/2008/11/pampelmoose-new-music-hour-on-portlands-947fm-11-13-08) (5th song from the top)”

[keyinblack]

#10

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Indian Jewelry - Free Gold
Whoa, never expected this to show up.

It's a cool record that I need to listen to more. I really like the track "Everyday", it has a casual air that reminds me of late Velvet Underground (+ Nico).

[Derek]

Whoa, never expected this to show up.

It's a cool record that I need to listen to more. I really like the track "Everyday", it has a casual air that reminds me of late Velvet Underground (+ Nico).

Yeah, "Everyday" is a beautiful little song that breaks the album up nicely. This is one that just kept growing on me since I've heard it. Not a bad track throughout.

[Derek]

#8

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Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.

After last year’s brilliant Cryptograms and the equally fascinating Fluorescent Grey EP, you might’ve expected Bradford Cox and the boys of Deerhunter to take their foot of the accelerator. But not only did they eclipse their output for last year, but absolutely shatter it releasing two more fantastic full-length albums along with a pretty great solo effort by Cox under his Atlas Sound monicker. With Microcastle and Weird Era Cont., Deerhunter prove themselves to be the torchbearers of shoegaze, creating a unique blend of pop and rock lost in a haze. But like other bands who attempt a similar feat, Deerhunter are not afraid to bridge the gap between ambient and noise, nor are they afraid to slow things down to a screeching halt before completely rocking out. The band is now comfortable in their skin, slowly perfecting their various modes and tightening their sound, both in terms of instrumentation and production. The final five tracks of Microcastle are all the evidence you need – from the crawling ambience of “Activa” and the thumping bass of “Nothing Ever Happened” to the surf ballad “Saved By Old Times” and the dreamlike swirling guitars of “These Hands” and “Twilight at Carbon Lake”, it’s clear that this is a band mature enough to know their limitations and smart enough to work minor miracles within them while slowly working to expand their sound.

Key Tracks: “Twilight at Carbon Lake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32dLVXMzgTg)”, “Nothing Ever Happened (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1JHdSBibO8&feature=related)”, “Slow Swords (http://www.last.fm/music/Deerhunter/_/Slow+Swords)”

[Derek]

#7

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The Dodos - Visiter

The Dodos breakthrough album Visiter is a work of great efficiency and creativity, taking a simple acoustic sound and breathing new life into it through tribal drumming, surprising touches of electric guitar and a varying vocal style. Their music has a touch of melancholy yet it’s so free and alive that it remains inspiring rather than reveling in sadsackness. The sweet love song “Ashley”, in its pure simplicity, is the standout track - tender and beautiful, yet in the way it builds its basic melody, erupting into joyful strumming and clapping at the most heartbreaking moment evokes not irony or pity, but an acceptance of life’s disappointments and the will to overcome them. Although no other song quite reaches the heights of the second half of that song, it sums up when makes Visiter such a great album – the ability to be introspective and melancholy without ever once slipping into self-pity or solipsism.

Key Tracks: “Ashley (http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Dodos%20-%20Ashley.mp3)”, “Red and Purple (http://hypem.com/track/511420)”, “Fools (http://www.aolcdn.com/_media/ch_music/dodos_fools.mp3)”

[Derek]

#6

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Birchville Cat Motel - Gunpowder Temple of Heaven

Transcendence is something I appreciate in both music and film, or rather art in general. That is, specifically, the ability to transport and transport; not merely to take my emotions to a different level, but to change the way I see and experience the world around me. Now look, I realize an album composed of a single 41-minute drone track isn’t an easy sell, but at the very least I can give you some idea of what to expect from it. The word drone alone suggests something slow, plodding, dull and endless…only two of which is this album is. But slow and (seemingly) endless can sometimes be a good thing and like Andrei Tarkovsky, a director who has had those same four words thrown his way, Birchville Cat Motel use pacing as a way of forcing us to recognize and experience the weight of time. Whereas the Tark couples this pacing with images transfixed by the spiritual potential contained within material reality, Birchville leave it up to you, kind of like a musical Tarkovsky on the go with the world as your movie screen. It’s incredibly moving, more of an experience than an album - instruments and noises coming not in fits but tidal waves and if the undertow doesn't drown you, I can promise it's something you won't soon forget.

Key Tracks: Were you not paying attention?

[Boner M]

YES!!!

I pretty much like all of Kneale's stuff, but I prefer his celestial-ish drones over his more metal-ish stuff. GTOH is closest to the last track on Beautiful Speck Triumph, and thus one of my faves of his.

[Derek]

YES!!!

I pretty much like all of Kneale's stuff, but I prefer his celestial-ish drones over his more metal-ish stuff. GTOH is closest to the last track on Beautiful Speck Triumph, and thus one of my faves of his.

I dl'ed BST on your recommendation along with a couple others of his. Haven't had a chance to give them a listen, but if they're anywhere near as great as Gunpowder, then I'll undoubtedly love them. It'll be nice hearing some mercifully shorter pieces, since it takes a special kind of mood to sit down for this one.

[keyinblack]

great choices

i wouldn't call dodo's particularly efficient (the album is a tad too long) but i put my stock behind them as best new indie band. in fact, i think they represent what indie rock should be, in a perfect world: smart, creative, with an unpretentious passion.

[Boner M]

I dl'ed BST on your recommendation along with a couple others of his. Haven't had a chance to give them a listen, but if they're anywhere near as great as Gunpowder, then I'll undoubtedly love them. It'll be nice hearing some mercifully shorter pieces, since it takes a special kind of mood to sit down for this one.
Be warned; it's pretty demanding album - comprised of 6 tracks over two hours (3 long tracks per disc). Only the last tracks on each disc are truly musical, but you have to listen to what's preceding it to get the full effect of them... they come across as huge emotional outbursts after long periods of repression. It's pretty fascinating stuff.

He also did a great collaboration with Lee Ranaldo, which has the best product description ever (from Kneale's label - Celebrate PSI Phenomenon - and written by him):


New York is pretty different from Lower Hutt. In a lot of ways. But that doesn't mean New York is BAD... its just 'different', y'know? I was down the Lower East Side recently with the guy from Sonic Youth. He was as cool as he looked in Rip It Up magazine! We tuned our guitars and bagpipes, the lights sunk in anticipation, and we buried the audience in a cloud of fairy-dust so thick you could eat it with chopsticks and people with shovels tried to dig their way out of it but it just got deeper and deeper and when the sound couldn't get any louder my soul gnawed a hole in the roof with its teeth and the cast of Friends descended on angel-wings, urinating in ecstacy on the assembled masses in what looked like a tornado of golden glitter. WOW! Afterwards we cleaned up the mess and I got Phill Niblocks mobile phone-number on a napkin. Yeah... New York is just 'different'.

[Derek]

#5

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El Guincho - Alegranza*

Alegranza is first and foremost a sunshine record, an album that shimmers alongside the ultraviolet rays as they pound your face and crackles like the sand between your toes. It's a record to move to, be it dancing, skipping or walking as it's energy cannot be contained by headphones. This is how Stella got her groove back, how Julia Stiles saved the last dance, how Hayden Panettiere brought it on: all or nothing. This is how tropical music should be updated for the 20th Century, how repetition can shake your bones and move your soul and still leaving room for the flurry of surprises M. Guincho doses out over the course of the album. This is how Panda Bear as MC would keep people out of their seats, forcing them to leave concert still doing the 2-step involuntarily as music and movement have become inseparable, indistinguishable, a celebration of life. And it's okay, I don't understand a word of it either.

Key Tracks: "Antillas (http://hypem.com/track/469892)", "Fata Morgana (http://hypem.com/track/474805)", "Buenos Matrimoios Ahi Fuera" (couldn't find this online, so here's a guy playing with a soccer ball to "Cuando Maravilla Fui" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZIdNKGoFdo) instead)

*2008 U.S. Release**

**Because I don't want keyin to scold me.

[keyinblack]

another fantastic choice.

part of me thinks that Animal Collective added all the bass to MPP because they knew El Guincho basically beat them to their new sound before they did, and they had to switch it up some.

[Acapelli]

love alegranza

[Derek]

Too many great picks in a row. Time to disappoint keyin, though who didn't see this one coming? ;)


#4

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TV on the Radio - Dear Science

I’ve never held much stock in the zeitgeist and its perpetual capturing. It is elusive by nature, it quickly escapes like a cockroach patiently waiting for you to lift your foot so it can scurry off under the fridge for another few weeks. So when the notions that Dear Science is either brilliant for catching the glimmer of hope the prospect of change ’08 finally offered us along with the frustration that preceded it or that it has stamped itself with an expiration date for the very same reason, I can’t help but shrug and say “So what?” When music is this creative, when a band hones their craft and tightens their sound, when Tunde and Kyp’s vocals meld so smoothly with Sitek’s crisp production, when a band so smoothly integrates funk, hip-hop and rock and when, as a whole, the follow-up to Return to Cookie Mountain is, I hate to admit, even more consistently great (though no, it doesn’t reach that album’s peaks), then I can’t help but find it one of the best, most thrilling and entertaining albums of the year. My spot on the bandwagon is still safe.

Key Tracks: “Golden Age (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0gghjczAt0)”, “Crying (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xhaJuKpxxk)”, “DLZ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N31oFeinFY)”

[Derek]

#3

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Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna

Like Alegranza, Saint Dymphna is an album to move to, but it is also an album in motion. Gang Gang Dance seem to be making it up as they go, not only bringing a fresh sound to each track, but finding ways to keep tracks transforming and moving forward. To pidgeonhole this as a dance album is doing it a disservice since it, first and foremost, seeks to break the shackles of genre and the confinement of setting and living up to expectations. From the !!!-ness of "First Communion" (topping anything that band's ever put out) and the haunting instrumental grooves of "Blue Nile" to the nod to MBV with "Vacuum", forcing the legend's sound into their own rather than bowing down and settling for something cheap and derivative, followed by the Jamaican hip-hop of "Princes", it seems there's nothing Gang Gang Dance can't do. It's all over the place, but that's what makes the years most purely exciting album. That and the fact that "Desert Storm" is the song I've been waiting for from Bjork for, what, 8 years now?

Key Tracks: "First Communion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0VePHmc7iE)", "Desert Storm (http://hypem.com/track/697599/Gang+Gang+Dance-Desert+Storm)", "House Jam (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqn7kaCm8No)"

[Derek]

#2

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Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing

Ah, the thin line between noise and melody, ugliness and beauty, pomposity and profundity. What a tangled web ye weave, Fuck Buttons, and like the spider, these guys are patient, allowing their songs to stew for a while before breaking wide open with streams of muted screaming or waves of noise that erupt from within, threatening to shatter the album, or your eardrums, into a million little pieces. As much as I love Gunpowder Temple of Heaven, Fuck Buttons bite-size noise melodies simply have more bang for the buck, creating various dense sonic worlds that, while not as grandiose, are still just as awe-inspiring, full of life and able to shake the ground beneath my feet. This is the kind of album that grabs you and doesn't let go.

Key Tracks: "Sweet Love for Planet Earth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1zWZ7jl_pg)", "Race You to My Bedroom/Spirit Rise (http://hypem.com/artist/fuck+buttons)" (link to the individual song is dead, but if you scroll ~halfway down the page, you'll see it. Press play.), "Okay, Let's Talk About Music (http://hypem.com/track/651185/Fuck+Buttons-Okay%2C+Let%27s+Talk+About+Mag ic)"

[keyinblack]

oohh, excited to see the no. 1!

re: tvotr, I will concede that Crying is one of the best songs of last year, like top 5.

[Boner M]

Hooray for GGD.

[keyinblack]

Hooray for GGD.
seriously. between me, you, and derek here I think match-cut is adequately exposed to this album.

[Derek]

seriously. between me, you, and derek here I think match-cut is adequately exposed to this album.

Our work here is done. :)

#1 up in a little bit.

[Derek]

#1

{{{Sunset}}} - The Glowing City & Bright Blue Dream

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1557074.jpg
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1380808.jpg

Consider this a late Christmas present – two for the price is one. Truth is, Bright Blue Dream was hovering around #15 and with The Glowing City as my pick for best album of the year, I figured I’d make the final entry a big, gushing tribute to Bill Baird’s brilliant sister albums rather than let him take up two spots. Bright Blue Dream is more downtrodden in tone, lovelorn and sorrowful – the pessimistic intro to the astounding, uncontainable joy found in The Glowing City. Both albums are touched by the ghostly presence of Sandy, the fictional lost love who haunts every inch of Baird’s music. It remains unclear whether she is based on real girl or an ideal created by and strived for through his music (sort of like Daniel Johnston’s Laurie), but it makes little difference when the results are so impassioned, sincere and touching on the full spectrum of emotions. Baird’s unique brand of psychedelic pop is perfectly suited for this, equally at home with sun-drenched love songs as it is for melancholy confrontations with reality. The Glowing City is not simply a tribute to Sandy, though she’s certainly at the center of it, but simply enough a coming to terms with all of life’s absurdities, never lingering too long in its highs or lows, but traversing through them all in a brilliant balancing act of musical diversity and thematic concerns. The fact that almost no one seemed to notice this album (Tiny Mix Tapes, god bless them as this is why I’m writing for them now, gave it a 4/5, Pitchfork didn’t bother with it after 5.6ing BBD and Cokemachineglow doesn’t note its existence) is fine with me as my experience with it is nearly as personal as Baird’s material is to him. For me, it is a celebration of life and a testament to the power of art to rise itself and ourselves above the mundanity existence, to reflect and force us to do the same. And I didn’t even mention all the crazy woodwind instruments, violins, drumming and piano/keyboard work that makes this one of the most ambitious albums I’ve heard in a while. Check them both out, but if you go for one, The Glowing City’s where it’s at.

Key Tracks (The Glowing City) These work better in the context of the album, but at least this’ll give you a taste: “Life is Rad (Just Say Yes) (http://www.last.fm/music/%7B%7B%7BSunset%7D%7D%7D/_/Life+is+Rad+(Just+Say+Yes))”, “New York Love (http://www.sendspace.com/file/z896r4)” (could only find an older version online, but here’s a link to dl the song), “You’ve Never Lived a Day in Your Life (http://www.last.fm/music/%7B%7B%7BSunset%7D%7D%7D/The+Glowing+City/You%27ve+Never+Lived+a+Day+in+ Your+Life)”

Key Tracks (Bright Blue Dream): “Old Sandy Bull Lee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOC3gJ6M3UE)”, “Man’s Heart Complaint (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAj24h4N7SA)”, “Dear Broken Friend (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUMvkL9uiFI)”

[Derek]

And that's it. I'll be making a zip file (not today) with my 50 favorite tracks of the year, so I'll post the link here when it's ready.

Thanks for reading guys and please continue to comment when you get around to hearing more tracks/albums etc.

[keyinblack]

did not expect that. thanks for introducing me to this record, it seems like one of those very special albums that can become apart of you because of it's insular and powerful vision and scope. Kind of like The Microphones Glow Pt. 2. All around a fantastic list, one of the best I've seen.

what are your thoughts on the following albums:

in ghost colours - cut/copy
nouns - no age
women - women
crystal antlers - crystal antlers
the walkmen - you & me

[Derek]

did not expect that. thanks for introducing me to this record, it seems like one of those very special albums that can become apart of you because of it's insular and powerful vision and scope. Kind of like The Microphones Glow Pt. 2. All around a fantastic list, one of the best I've seen.

Thanks. I'm thrilled you checked it out and already like it - really makes doing a list like this worthwhile. I never would've thought to compare it to Glow, but that's a good comparison. It's as much in Baird's head as Glow is a reflection of Elverum.


what are your thoughts on the following albums:

in ghost colours - cut/copy
nouns - no age
women - women
crystal antlers - crystal antlers
the walkmen - you & me

Liked all of them and probably listened to Women the most of those 5. "Feel the Love" is one of my favorite tracks of the year, but the rest of In Ghost Colours just never grabbed me like that. Nouns is really solid, but like Weirdo Rippers half the album rocks my socks and the other half is lukewarm. Women is fascinating little album that I kept returning to, but mostly for "Black Rice" and "Upstairs" which are both fantastic. Only listened to Crystal Antlers and The Walkmen once and I have a feeling The Walkmen will grow on me when I return to it. I heard it fairly late in the year, so I know I didn't give it a fair shake. I really like their sound though - first I'd heard by them.

[Melville]

Wait, wait, wait. Where's the Portishead?

[Derek]

Wait, wait, wait. Where's the Portishead?

Riiiiight behind the honorable mentions. I like Third a lot, but it's my least favorite of their albums. There some undeniably great tracks, especially stuff like "We Carry On", but if I want to listen to Silver Apples, I'll listen to Silver Apples.

[Melville]

Riiiiight behind the honorable mentions. I like Third a lot, but it's my least favorite of their albums. There some undeniably great tracks, especially stuff like "We Carry On", but if I want to listen to Silver Apples, I'll listen to Silver Apples.
I think it might be my favorite of their albums. I guess the Silver Apples comparison is valid, with the buzzing, thumping background and soft vocals, but Third makes that background more doom-laden and heavy, the vocals more plaintive and soft. The contrapuntal (to steal a word from Boner) balance of the two is what makes the album so great. Plus, Third has Beth Gibbons' voice.

Anyway, great list. I'm loving Sunset.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Yeah, Third is absolutely rockin'. Best album of the year by two-thousand country miles.

[Acapelli]

Yeah, Third is absolutely rockin'. Best album of the year by two-thousand country miles.
isn't third like the only 2008 album you listened to?

[/joke]

[Spaceman Spiff]

isn't third like the only 2008 album you listened to?

[/joke]

Joke or not, you happen to be pretty close to being right.

1. Third
2. Everything that Happens...
3. Dig, Lazarus Dig!

EDIT: Wait, forgot about In Rainbows. That would probably be 3, with Nick Cave dropping down.

[D_Davis]

#9



Brian Eno & David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today



Glad this made it on your top 10. It was my #1 of 2008.