2008 in music. • Page 2

OMG I forgot all about Ludo! I have a signed CD somewhere rom them!

 

1. Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
2. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
3. Meshuggah - Obzen

The Earth record is fucking perfect. What in skeletal form seems like the template for a doom record, yet sounds so bright, rich, beautiful that it becomes something far more. Not a moment wasted, each song taking its time to build but with perfectly paced restraint, never lethargy. I'd usually grimace at a title like that but it's somehow the perfect imagery for what this is sonically; the guitars, the organ keys, the little flourishes and solos all being the sweetness in the hollow.

The M83 material that I like, I really like, and the M83 material that I don't like, I really don't like. Saturdays=Youth is very much in the former. Hardly the first act to dip into the feeling of nostalgia but he executes it amazingly well here; really warm, obviously 80s influenced, with beautiful melodies (and a lovely female vocal), leaning more into dream pop than the electronic shoegaze of the early couple of records. All builds beautifully into the final track Midnight Souls Still Remain, which is essentially just a ten minute ambient track made up of two chords but is the most serene piece of music you'll ever hear.

Meshuggah are in with a fair shout of being the most influential heavy band of the last twenty years. In my mind Obzen is the best encapsulation of them, astonishing in its heaviness, jackhammer low end, clarity of production, groove, with just the best Meshuggah songs. Even the extreme metal bands I've listened to have never hit me with anything that punches me in the face quite like Bleed.

Honourable mentions:

• The Future Sound Of London - Environments II
• Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness
• Little - Little
  
• Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason
• MRR-ADM - Untitled (EP)
• David Cronenberg's Wife - Bluebeard's Rooms
• Underoath - Lost In The Sound Of Separation

Really difficult to narrow it down to three this year - I think there are probably six or seven albums that would have topped either of my '06 and '07 lists, and on another week my top three might be a little different. The Future Sound Of London album is awesome, the most wonderful mix of ambient electronics, strings and beats, doing what the best of that music should do which is to create what feels like a tangible place. There's such a range of records I love here too, from the lo-fi masterpiece of Deathconsciousness to the really pretty French pop of the self-titled Little. The MRR-ADM EP is all spacey and fuzzy synths, with huge sounding drums. I really like the Roots Manuva record (and try finding a better album opener from 2008), and LITSOS is both the best Underoath album and one of the most well mixed heavy records of the last twenty years (props to David Bendeth, who hasn't been involved in many albums I like).

I need to spend more time with the Portishead and Zach Hill albums at some point. Also really interested to check out the Seinfeld-themed mixtape by Wale.

 

This whole split-year release thing is starting to get to me lmao. I'm keeping this as a 2009 album, dammit.

 

1. Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger
2. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
3. Taylor Swift - Fearless

4. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
5. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
6. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
7. Katy Perry - One of the Boys
8. Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak
9. She & Him - Volume One
10. Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

11. Lady Gaga - The Fame
12. Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux
13. The Academy Is - Fast Times at Barrington High
14. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
15. Weezer - Red Album

 

Yeah was released in Europe a whole year ahead of the US release which is an odd strategy for such an American sounding band but maybe due to the UK success of The Strokes and Kings Of Leon they thought it made sense.

 

1. Gaslight anthem - 59 sound
2. Every Avenue - Sh...Just Go With it
3. Jacks Mannequin - Glass Passenger

4. Maine - Cant Stop Wont Stop
5. Death Cab - Narrow Stairs

 

1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
2. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
3. Foals - Antidotes
------------------------------
4. Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vol. 3 & 4: Air & Earth
5. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
6. Portugal. The Man - Censored Colors
7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
8. Nada Surf - Lucky
9. Panic! At The Disco - Pretty. Odd.
10. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
11. Fools & Horses - I Am The Ghost
12. Beck - Modern Guilt
13. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
14. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
15. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
16. Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
17. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into
18. Copeland - You Are My Sunshine
19. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
20. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
21. What Made Milwaukee Famous - What Doesn't Kill Us
22. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
23. R.E.M. - Accelerate
24. The Black Keys - Attack & Release
25. Anberlin - New Surrender
26. Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
27. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
28. +/- (Plus/Minus) - Xs On Your Eyes
29. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
30. Taylor Swift - Fearless

Honorable Mention:
The Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event
Alkaline Trio - Agony & Irony
The All-American Rejects - When The World Comes Down
Bloc Party - Intimacy
The Bronx - The Bronx III
Cold War Kids - Loyalty To Loyalty
The Dandy Warhols - Earth to the Dandy Warhols
Darker My Love - 2
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Deerhunter - Weird Era Cont
Delta Spirit - Ode To Sunshine
Dr. Dog - Fate
Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
Eagles Of Death Metal - Heart On
Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
The Faint - Fasciinatiion
Fall Out Boy - Folie a Deux
Feeder - Silent Cry
Finch - Finch (EP)
Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP (I know EPs don't count, otherwise near top of the list)
Flight Of The Conchords - Flight Of The Conchords
Flogging Molly - Float
Foxboro Hottubs - Stop Drop And Roll
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem
Jack Johnson - Sleep Through The Static
Jason Mraz - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
Jon Foreman - Fall/Spring/Summer/Winter (EPs)
Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads
Keane - Perfect Symmetry
The Killers - Day & Age
The Kooks - Konk
Lovedrug - The Sucker Punch Show
Ludo - You're Awful, I Love You
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath
Minus The Bear - Acoustics
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
No Age - Nouns
The Offspring - Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace
Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity
Passion Pit - Chunk Of Change (EP)
Phantom Planet - Raise The Dead
Portishead - Third
The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip In The Grain
The Republic Tigers - Keep Color
Rise Against - Appeal To Reason
The Roots - Rising Down
The Rosebuds - Life Like
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology
Shinedown - The Sound Of Madness
Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone
Story Of The Year - The Black Swan
The Sword - Gods Of The Earth
Third Eye Blind - Red Star (EP)
Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams
Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
Underoath - Lost In The Sound Of Separation
United Nations - United Nations
The Walkmen - You & Me
The War On Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues
Weezer - Weezer (Red Album)
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
Zac Brown Band - The Foundation

Checking out in Full First Time (Artist's 08 album):
The Academy Is...
Augustana
Bayside
The Black Angels
Bring Me The Horizon
Butch Walker
Ceremony
Colour Revolt
Conor Oberst
Counting Crows
Dear and the Headlights
Disturbed
Earth
Elbow
Emarosa
Forgive Durden
Foxy Shazam
Frank Turner
Fucked Up
Gavin DeGraw
Gojira
Have Heart
Hit The Lights
Jack's Mannequin
La Dispute
The Last Shadow Puppets
Los Campesinos!
Lydia
The Maine
Margot & The Nuclear So And So's
Mason Jennings
Metallica
Movements
The Parlor Mob
Protest The Hero
The Reign Of Kindo
Tigers Jaw
Titus Andronicus
The Used
Valencia
WHY?
Wye Oak

 

French pop rock that doesn't require much translating

 

That Hot Chip album was a contender for but I still enjoy the Cut Copy and Friendly Fires releases more in terms of dance-y indie.

 

I think all 3 bands made better overall albums with their immediate follow-ups to these albums. Friendly Fires the standout of the bunch. Pretty sure I have Pala as a Top 10 album in 2011.

 

@phaynes12 Remind me your thoughts on The Red Album

 

1. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
2. Frank Turner - Love, Ire and Song
3. The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave

The Midnight Organ Fight is an absolutely astonishing achievement, with Scott pouring his heart and soul into these songs, and for my mind the greatest "break up" album ever made, and just hands down one of THE greatest records ever, AND it's not even Frightened Rabbit's best record! He's deeply missed.

I'm a bit hit and miss with Frank Turner's other records, but this is phenomenal, it's everything that's exciting and excellent about his music, a brilliantly English snapshot of life, and something he's not managed to get close to since.

Both Shallow Grave and 2010's The Wild Hunt are essentially the same album from The Tallest Man On Earth, so I find it hard splitting them. Really crystal clear folk music, and he's a wonderful lyricist. I can't think of a better writer in a second language - though I don't want that to sound like a backhanded compliment!

Honourable mentions;

Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust: No idea how to say this (I think of it as "Med Sud" in my head, which it 100% is not), but this is a gloriously poppy Sigur Ros record, alongside Takk as easily their most accessible.

An Horse - Rearrange Beds: A really great guitar and drum duo from Australia, making earnest and fun poppy indie rock tracks.

I Was a Cub Scout - I Want You To Know That There is Always Hope: A deeply underrated and basically totally forgotten English band, this is their only release, and it's a lovely bit of electro-indie rock, a bit like The Postal Service perhaps.

Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing: I maybe listen to their second record more, but this is a pulsating and aggressive electronic album, that really pushes boundaries.

Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life: By far the most interesting punk / post-hardcore band in recent years.

Maybeshewill - Not for Want of Trying: A great electronic and cinematic sounding post-rock album, clearly influenced by the likes of 65Daysofstatic and the like. Good use of movie / media samples too.

This Will Destroy You - This Will Destroy You: Pretty much the same as the above, without the samples.

The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound: A fantastic bit of heartfelt, heartland rock with a little bit of a punk edge.

Al Green - Lay it Down: A fantastic late career record from the great Al Green, his final album, produced by Questlove. He's still got it!

Good Luck - Into Lake Griffy: I can't remember where I heard about this band, but one of the best pop-punk records I've heard.

Capsule - More! More! More!: Silly and very fun Japanese dance-pop. More of them to come in the coming years, but their records always make me smile and give me a bit of energy.

 

I really need to spend more time with Frightened Rabbit. Recall liking the album, but only ever really heard it in the company of other friends that were more into them, hence feeling not properly equipped to rank it.

 

it's one of their worst

 

love this list

 

it's astonishing, if we made one of these threads for the whole decade it might be in my top 5

 

Definitely will put it on this afternoon then. Or is it more of an evening time record?

Scrolling through the tracklist, I very much recall "Keep Yourself Warm". I'm thinking this evening maybe with a glass of wine or a cocktail to sit and enjoy it.

 

im not much of a "xyz album for ____ (time of day/season)" person lol I think it's safe to say it's great whenever you listen

 

1. Fall Out Boy - Folie à deux
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
3. Drive-By Truckers - Brighter than Creation's Dark

Near-misses/albums that could make the top 3 w more listens:
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Los Campesinos! - Hold on Now, Youngster...

 

I basically can't listen to "Floating in the Forth" anymore - just too on the nose and raw, considering everything that happened. Can't remember the last time I've listened to that song - maybe The Twilight Sad cover of it from the compilation a few years ago.

 

Another stacked year, maybe the closest I’ll ever come in a year to wanting to have a tie at number 1. Don’t think I’m allowed to do that, unfortunately.

 

Top 3 for me. Unbelievable album...but I'll save that for 2011.

 

Not ready to make a list yet but I am ready to say the red album and narrow stairs are at least 2/3 bad each

 

and now it will be 5 years until another FOB album....

going to get a head start on my 2009 and 2010 lists

 

Foil A Duck was so close to my Top 30, honestly. That revisit the other week really improved its standing in my eyes and ears.