Albums of 08

To the delight of approximately no-one, the annual fest of list-based tedium is back! The original version can be seen on my LastFM profile, and someone actually cared this year! YAY.

Right, just quickly need to name check a few records not strictly eligible for the proper thing, but that were pretty damn cool nonetheless. Animal Collective win EP of the year for 'Water Curses' (MPP is immense btw), just beating out an endless stream of ace efforts by Jay Retard (now compiled on two LPs) and Trail of Dead's 'Festival Tyhme'. Er, what else. Well, tasty deluxe reissues are pretty much the only CDs worth buying these days, so twas nice that some classics by Mission of Burma, the Replacements and Pavement got the premium treatment. The worst album of the year award meanwhile, is probably heading to either Blackmarket's obscure shitefest self-titled or that frankly offensive Kings of Leon effort. The Red Album lol.

On with the list!

50. Dr Dog - Fate

A tasty summery record, it may all be downhill after 'The Breeze', but what a downhill it is.

49. The Fall - Imperial Wax Solvent

Apparently Reformation Post TLC was the worst thing ever. This isn't. BACK ON FORM.

48. Johann Johannsson - Fordlandia

Defining record of the film score-meets-classical music-meets Sigur Ros genre. You 'erd!

47. Black Mountain - In The Future

Big riffs and wailing.

46. Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista

Hm, what is it? Neofolk, experimental, ambient? Strange stoof.

45. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

Dark and glitchy take on dance. May take a fair bit of patience to get into, it's worth it though.

44. Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel

Teeters periously close to the glam edge, although thankfully a healthy dose of Klaxons turns things around.

43. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park

Does a similar kind of thing to that grey as hell Fleet Foxes record, except this is, y'know, actually interesting.

42. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Hipster points +1

41. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing

True, 'Sweet Love for Planet Earth' utterly rapes the rest of the record, but it is one of the greatest songs EVER.

40. Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill

Albini would be fuming, there's reverb everywhere on this 'un.

39. The Bug - London Zoo

Not usually my kinda scene, but this is the exception.

38. Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up 'Til It Was Light

Get some kind of quality control. A host of fantastic ideas buried in an epic runtime of sugar rock.

37. Half Man Half Biscuit - CSI Ambleside

'Took problem chimp to Ideal Home Show'. LOL!

36. Beck - Modern Guilt

Compact records ftw! Not a weak track to be seen in a super slim runtime.

35. The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Graves

OK, comparing a folk record to Dylan may be a cliche of mindmelting proportions but...this is very Dylan-esque.

34. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

Tempting to just listen to 'Discipline' until the end of time, but if you can get past that there's a good effort lurking.

33. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

Again, like Johnny Foreigner, these guys need to get themselves an editor. Lots of great moments buried in an avalanche of sound.

32. M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Did someone say “THE 1980s”???? Awesome throwback trance-y, dance-y, techno-y, thang going down.

31. Los Campesinos! - Hold on Now, Youngster / We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed

Two albums in twelve months from the Marmite band of the year. Manic yelps accompany an explosion of twee. COOL.

30. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

Released to critical indifference earlier this year, although to be fair following up one of the albums of the decade wasn't going to be an easy task. They did a good job considering, IMO.

29. Bloc Party - Intimacy

It be a far from simple task to relate my reaction to the Blocs last effort, 'A Weekend in the City', which came slopping out of their collective anus back in 2007. The sun was shining and I was an innocent youngster in his best Sunday blazer, eagerly placing the new long player by trendy beat combo 'Bloc Party' into his stereo. As the record slowly eased itself into action I remained blissfully unaware of the horrors that awaited. Then it began. Within seconds my skull was already fracturing in upon itself so colossal was the weight of excrement attempting to force its way through my aural passage. Moments later and the stereo was spewing such immense torrents of audio vomit that I was soon face down in an ocean of liquid shit. By the time half a 'song' had elapsed I was drenched in a mixture of vomit, grey slimy shit, and my own bloodied tears. I was a spasming vegetable, weakly clawing at the off switch. Yet it was too late. The fuckers were already singing about sudoku.

This new one is quite good.

28. Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

P-S-Y-C-H-O-S-O-C-I-A-L

27. Breeders - Mountain Battles

The slow drip feed of Breeders albums continues. Only two songs exceed three minutes, always a pleasant approach.

26. Q-Tip - The Renaissance

Chillaxed effort from ex-A Tribe Called Quest-er. I'm a sucker for cheesy hip-hop, hence 'You' being slammed on the 08 mixtape.

25. Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride

Millionth rendition of the trademark hyperliterate lyrics and nasal vocals. Somehow still not getting old.

24. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Death Cab eh? Should be terrible but...'Grapevine Fires'...

23. dEUS - Vantage Point

dEUS outside the top 5?? It's good but pales in comparison to their peerless 90s output.

22. Bound Stems - The Family Afloat

Lurvely mellowed out take on early Modest Mouse, with some nice backing vocals. WINSTON!

21. Boston Spaceships - Brown Submarine

Token slot on these lists for a Pollard-related release duly filled. Very entertaining stuff, even if Bob's songwriting hasn't really progressed since 'Isolation Drills'.

20. Metallica - Death Magnetic

One of the biggest bands in the world continues to take inspiration from Father's 'knocking on a door' approach to drum recording. LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD. Morrissey must be turning in his grave.

19. Subtle - ExitingARM

More quality 'is it/isn't it' hip-hop from the Anticon stable. Doseone is on top form, as is particularly evident during the opening four tracks.

18. Blitzen Trapper - Furr

Rapid sequel to last years 'Wild Mountain Nation' (which went top 5 in the 2007 list fact fans!). Not as ragged or varied as that record, which some boring people might prefer.

17. Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

Some epic countryified rock for ya. The solo's are tasty, the licks great and there's some nice Southern lyrical stylings going down too.

16. Euros Childs - Cheer Gone

I'm a big fan of this record, hence this.

15. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash

It's a grower! Plus a significant improvement on the pretty dismal 'Face the Truth.'

14. Portishead - Third

Endlessly impressive comeback record. In many regards it is surprisingly varied too, although without once losing that distinct Portishead sound.

13. David Bryne and Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

''This groove is out of fashion, these beats are twenty years old.'' Only point of this record where the two old-timers get it wrong. Brilliant stuff.

12. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

ALICE PRACTICE

11. Deerhunter - Microcastle

A straightforward Deerhunter record?? This sounds very much like one, goooooood stuff.

10. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna

Gloriously messy album. Cohesiveness far from the point here, with even bizarre internet rumours of a garage MC coming true.

09. Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins

Part two of last years fun 'The Stage Names', Okkervil continue to release consistently great records. Although hopefully the next album will move away from the ironic sorta-thing they got going, and back into the passion of magnum-opus 'Black Sheep Boy.'

08. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping

Even by Of Montreal standards this is utter insanity. Completely divided opinions on release, I'm personally a big fan.

07. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

EPIC GROWER! Utterly loathed this on the first few listens, now it's quite possibly my second favourite 'Steady album. The solo on 'Lord, I'm Discouraged'...mmm....

06. Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling

Amazing how the sound of Mogwai treading water can still go top ten. This band be too damn good. Blur: are shite indeed.

05. Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea

Haha, haven't seen this in too many top tens this year, but, hey, I'm kinda biased. Still, 'Suffering Jukebox' is the new Best Song Ever. Nice cover art too.

04. Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

OK, they really are making a concerted effort to sell out now (4 minute singles, I mean really?) and it's not going to be joining the likes of 'Ágætis byrjun', '( )' or even 'Takk...' on any greatest album ever lists, but, like Silver Jews, I'm just waaay too biased towards old faves.

03. No Age - Nouns

The perfect antidote to all that putrid Decemberists-style rank, some tasty noise that makes you want to smack Colin Meloy in his smug Elizabethan face.

02. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

Screw the backlash, it's ultra rad. OK, that song may steer dangerously close to Coldplay waters, but it's merely a single guilty pleasure in a sea of ALTERNATIVE RESPECT.

01. Why? - Alopecia

This record could keep anyone in MSN names for a year.

“I never said I didn't have syphilis, Miss”

“Sucking dick for drink tickets at the free bar at my cousins bar mitzvah”

“Just another Sunday paddle boat ride on a man made lake”

“I'll suck the marrow out and rape your hollow bones”

“Sending sexy SMS messages to my ex's new man”

“Sometimes I claim to know a guy, but I couldn't tell you what his hands look like.”

“Could your anger be mapped into an interpretative dance to a trip-hop track?”

“I feel like a loop of the last eight frames of film, before a slow motion Lee Harvey Oswald gets shot in the gut and killed”

“In Berlin I saw two men fuck in the dark corner of a basketball court, just a slight jangle of pocket change pulsing”

“Rain goes perfect with a Nosdam mixtape”

“Even though I haven't seen you in years, yours is a funeral I'd fly to from anywhere”

“Filming my own fake death, under an '88 Cavalier I go”

“I curse the last six months I've been hiding behind a moustache.”

“Today you're twenty-five, I made you something fine, it's in the palm of my new hand.”

Masterpiece number three for Yoni and co.