Hi everybody, here's my list of top 10 albums. All in all I'd say it has been not quite as strong as 2007, but still good nonetheless.
1) FLEET FOXES - s/t
I know these guys are getting a lot of critical love this year, but I think it's totally deserved. No album came out this year that I listened to or enjoyed more than Fleet Foxes. One of those great albums that I kept finding new bits to come back to. They come from this strange indie-folk background that I've always liked but never quite loved until now. An altogether outstanding album, and an easy pick for first place for me.
2) M83 - "Saturdays=Youth"
Holy crap I can't stop listening to Kim & Jessie. Solid album too, but Kim & Jessie has to be the single of the year for me (followed closely by Your Protector by Fleet Foxes and Kids by MGMT while we're at it). Completely weird, hypnotic album and an excellent live show.
3) SIGUR ROS - "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust"
Not a perfect album, but a welcome new direction for this band. I don't think that they're ever going to make another Agaetis Byrjun, which is sad, but this is a nice way to go and probably their strongest effort since. I just wish they'd taken the risks they took on the first half of the album and carried them into the second half as well. Makes me think their next album is going to complete their reinvention.... and as nice as that will be, I'll still hope that someday they'll turn into a metal band.
4) ANDREW BIRD - "Soldier On" (EP)
It's only an EP, but it came out in 2008 and is responsible for getting me hooked on Andrew Bird. The Trees Were Mistaken is beautiful.
5) PORTISHEAD - "Third"
Awesome. Listen to We Carry On.
6) THROW ME THE STATUE - "Moonbeams"
Steve Lenzen turned me on to this band, and they're excellent, generally unheard of find. They sound an awful lot like the Dismemberment Plan's "Emergency & I," especially the song Your Girlfriend's Car. If you like that album you'll like these guys.
7) RATATAT - "LP3"
I listened to the song Shempi and was so convinced that they took the Lost Woods theme from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that I wound up playing my roommates copy of Twilight Princess all the way through just to get back to the lost woods. In other words, huge points for Ratatat.
8) GIRL TALK - "Feed the Animals"
This time he uses Boy Girl song from Aphex Twin, Whoop there it is by Tag Team, No Diggity by BlackSTREET and some Of Montreal. Predictably amazing.
9) MGMT - "Oracular Spectacular"
Kids was everywhere this year, but Time to Pretend and Electric Feel are two other good ones. Good album, but not sure if I'm going to give a damn in a year.
10) FUCK BUTTONS - "Street Horrrsing"
Good stuff... listened to this more than Holy Fuck, which also has cuss words in the name and also sound sort of similar. Are they all trying to be a David Byrne/Brian Eno team though? I dunno, I gotta get my hands on some more David Byrne/Brian Eno albums.
Also listened to this year and think are awesome but made albums not in 2008:
The National
M.I.A.
Andrew Bird
Yeasayer
The Knife
Bill Evans
Sonny Rollins
Yann Tierson
What I'd like to listen to from 2008 but haven't yet:
El Guincho - "Alegranza"
Of Montreal - "Skeletal Lamping"
Cut Copy - "In Ghost Colours"
The Cool Kids - "Bake Sale"
TV on the Radio - "Dear Science"
Disappointments in 2008:
Weezer - the Red Album. Weezer's officially dead to me. That's it. This album is a complete joke. Their songwriting has been outsourced to their fans and they look to chocolate rain for inspiration for (extremely expensive) music videos. I finally realized that this is NOT the same band that put out Pinkerton and the Blue album, and I'm embarrassed that I held out this long to come to that conclusion. I guess I always harbored some sort of notion that the band that put out those two albums must have something still in the tank, but I guess I was wrong. They're just not the same band is all. So f*ck Weezer, f*ck their shitty music, they've criminally abandoned everything that made them worthwhile and now they suck. ...and thus concludes my disappointments for 2008! [smiley face]
That's it! Thanks Paul... and keep the lists coming -- I usually find some new albums here. Get on it!
Matt
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3 comments:
Throw me the Statue is great in both band name (Indiana Jones reference) and sound. They're a local Seattle band and I saw them play once.
Weezer has been dead to me for a while. It takes a bit to give up, but once you do, you're better for it.
I'll just agree that Weezer can suck it. It's easiest to pretend they died in a fiery bus crash immediately after Pinkerton came out (even though I sort of like Hash Pipe).
I've determined that Weezer are the M Night Shyamalan of alternative music. You know what? I haven't liked a god-damned thing they've done since Pinkerton (which blew my mind) aside from some crumbs on the green album. Likewise, loved Sixth-Sense and LOVED Unbreakable, but what has he done for me lately? I kinda liked a few minutes of Signs, and nothing since. BUT I still get a little excited when I hear of a new movie from M Night coming out. MAYBE he can still pull it off--he's done it before right??? But no, it's a shit sandwich called the Happening.
Weezer is dead. And M Night is right behind them. why can't we give up hope????
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