Top 15 Albums Of 2008

Out of the all the albums that came out this year, these here... these are the tops. This list was put together with a little help from last.fm. Also, I don't apply any number ranks to my year end lists. I use the power of the alphabet, but if you really want a #1 album of 2008, let's just say it's... HLLLYH. Ok, let's go...



Top 15 Albums Of 2008:
Alegranza by El Guincho

Comment: A trance enducing world trip
Listen: "Cuando Maavilla Fui" (box.net mp3)
Listen More: "Palmitos Park" (beggars mp3)
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

Crystal Castles by Crystal Castles

Comment: The glitch masterpiece of the year
Listen: "Magic Spells" (box.net mp3)
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

Curses by Future Of The Left

Comment: Runner up for Album Of The Year... out of all these records, this is the one I listened to the most.
Listen: "Fingers Become Thumbs" (box.net mp3)
Listen More: "Manchasm" (box.net mp3)
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

Feed The Animals by Girl Talk

Comment: Mr. Gillis makes me want to wrap my iMac in Saran Wrap. If you haven't yet, take a look at the Wikipedia dissection of Feed The Animals... here. Kind of like The Soup but with music.
Listen: "What It's All About" (box.net mp3)
Pay-What-You-Want is here.
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

HEALTH//DISCO by Health

Comment: This will blow your mind. The best remix album of the year (maybe ever?)
Listen: "Heaven (Narctrax Remix)" (box.net mp3)
Listen More: "Lost Time (Pictureplane Remix)" (box.net mp3)
Listen Even More: "Tabloid Sores (Nosaj Thing Remix)" (box.net mp3)
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

HLLLYH by The Mae Shi

Comment: Album of the year (for now).
Listen: "PWND"
Listen More: "The Melody" (box.net mp3)
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

Liferz by Blood On The Wall

Comment: Like the 90's all rolled up into one album. The Pixies and Sonic Youth influences shine through, but you know what there's nothing wrong with that. This rocks.
Listen: "Rize" (box.net mp3)
Listen More: "Hibernation" (box.net mp3)
eMusic page is here.
Amazon MP3 page is here.

The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In by Thee Oh Sees

Comment: R-O-C-K
Listen: "Ghost In The Trees" (box.net mp3)
Listen More: "The Coconut" (box.net mp3)
eMusic page is here.
Amazon MP3 page is here.

Nouns by No Age

Comment: Amazing.
Listen: "Teen Creeps" (sub pop mp3)
Listen More: "Eraser" (sub pop mp3)
Sub Pop page is here.
Amazon MP3 page is here.

On Two Sides by Blank Dogs

Comment: distorted vocals with instrumentals that sound like The Cure if they had been Birmingham and not West Sussex.
Listen: "Meltdown Cloud" (box.net mp3)
Sacred Bones Records page is here.
(Free) download is here.

Out My Window by Koushik

Comment: downbeat bliss
Listen: "Be With" (box.net mp3)
Listen More: "Nothing's The Same" (box.net mp3)
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

Third by Portishead

Comment: a remarkable return (and the only major label artist on the list, sorry Beck)
Listen/Watch: "Machine Gun" (youtube)
Amazon MP3 page is here.

We Breed Champions by Royal Bangs

Comment: These guys crafted one of the best indie rock albums of the year even if my best friend can never remember their name. A good way to remember their name: it's a euphemism for sex with a monarch.
Listen: "Let's Get Even" (box.net mp3)
Audio Eagle page is here.
Amazon MP3 page is here.

Welcome by James Pants

Comment: The space funk album of the year
Listen: "Finger On The Knife" (box.net mp3)
Listen More: "We're Through" (stones throw mp3)
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

WOMEN by Women

Comment: Canadian indie rock drenched in droney lofi goodness. SEE THEM LIVE. That is all.
Listen: "Lawncare" (box.net mp3)
Listen More: "Group Transport Hall" (jagjaguwar mp3)
Jagjaguwar page is here.
eMusic page is here

Consider CLICKing
- Panther covering The Silos... here. Listen: "justthismorning" (krs mp3)

- Best Of 2008: Captain's Dead's Top Ten Records... here.

- Best Of 2008: The Tape's 25 favorite songs... here.

- Best Of 2008: The Daily Growl's Top 20 albums... here.

- Best Of 2008: So Much Silence's Favorite albums... here.

- Vice Gives You The Gift Of Good Music... here.

December 2007 Mix

Instead of clamoring about what should be considered the best of 2008 (that'll come later), I say take some time and look back on December 2007.

Downloadable: "December 2007" (box.net zip)

The Tracks:
1. "Business Cats" (box.net mp3) by Mika Miko
2. "No Being Disgusting (Live)" (box.net mp3) by Screaming Females
3. "Wonderful People" (southern mp3) by Q And Not U
4. "I'd Rather Be Clogging" (punk in my vitamins mp3) by Karp
5. "Prisonship Martyrs" (mp3) by Freshkills
6. "What Needs Must Be" (matador mp3) by Dead Meadow
7. "Loosen Up (Daytrotter Session)" (box.net mp3) by The Shaky Hands
8. "Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)" (kill rockstars mp3) by Thao Nguyen
9. "Indestructible Life!" (fanatic mp3) by Old Time Relijun
10. "End Result (Crass Reworking)" by Jeffrey Lewis
11. "Me, Me, Just Me" by Feral Children
12. "Slippershell" (box.net mp3) by Kristin Hersh
13. "Mindfuck" (mp3) by Dirt Merchants
14. "Change (Blind Melon Cover)" (mp3) by Cassettes Won't Listen
15. "The Wizard (Live on Fair Game)" (fair game mp3) by Bat For Lashes
16. "Gila" (box.net mp3) by Beach House
17. "Chrome's On It" (i am sound mp3) by Telepathe
18. "Black Tape" by Low Scores
19. "So Post All 'Em (Instrumental)" (box.net mp3) by YACHT
20. "The Basement/Efant Terrible" by Yea Big & Kid Static

Consider CLICKing
- Check out this artpunk/postpunk jam from Bruno Wizard's The Homosexuals: "Slow Guns" (serious business mp3). 2nd pressing of the vinyl is here. eMusic page is here. Another mp3?: "Snapshots Of Nairobi (Live In Washington,D.C. 11.13.08)" (serious business mp3)

- Listen to El Guincho on WNYC's Soundcheck: "The resulting sound can be disorienting, manic -- and blissful." (wnyc mp3). Deets are here.

- Built On A Weak Spot is back up just in time for a new monthly mix... here. Note... We here at GT world headquarters are delighted to have influenced the choice of one song this month.

- Best Of 2008: Gorilla Vs. Bear's songs of the year... here.

- Raven Sings The Blues posts a track off the new Finally Punk 7"... here.

- Best of 9375: Future Post Year in Review @ Transmissions From Wintermute... here. More futureposts... here.

Palmitos Park (El Guincho Cover) By Ruby Suns

Yes yes yes... this was available earlier this week on the Forkcast. But I am hoping that your rss feed for Pitchfork has been down.

Download: "Palmitos Park (El Guincho Cover)" (box.net mp3) as performed by The Ruby Suns

Can't say it is as good as the original, but you can understand the lyrics, sorta... well more than the original anyway: "Palmitos Park" (beggars mp3)

Watch the El Guincho video for "Palmitos Park":


Sub Pop page is here.
Lil' Chief page is here.
Memphis Industries is here.
eMusic page is here.

Consider CLICKing
- RSTB sings the 'I got the Black Moth Super Rainbow blues' (with an mp3 for "Milk Skates")... here.

- Also on p'fork this week was the new Salem "jam" entitled "Dirt" (p'fork mp3). Full post (with the vid posted about earlier this week) is here.

Die Allman Bruder By Ponytail

I thought I would do a little public service today. So I am going to post some "energy-based music" to help you get going and do that thing you are supposed to be doing right now instead of reading this. So listen to this...

Downloadable (CORRECTED!): "Die Allman Bruder" (box.net mp3) by Ponytail

If you also require visual stimulation, watch this...

Downloadable: "Die Allman Bruder" (now we are free mov)

"Official" site is here.
Now We Are Free is here.
Creative Capitalism page is here.
eMusic page is here.
ptw guest edit is here.

Consider CLICKing
- Some light reading concerning myths about this date seven years ago... here.

- Ohboyohboyohboy... The Black Kids, Titus Andronicus, The Ruby Suns, The Royal Bangs, and Aesop Rock all have Daytrotter sessions coming up.

- A Different Stripe posts about Right To Write... here. It's a new project "whose mission is to provide a repository of information and support for individuals needing to learn more about their intellectual property rights in the face of legal intimidation."

- Two (more) vids for your optical enjoyment today. The first is the new El Guincho vid for "Palmitos Park" @ Gorilla Vs. Bear (here) and the second is the creepy new Salem vid @ Big Stereo (here).

- I Rock Cleveland gets h-e-a-v-y with Fucked Up... here.

- Some Velvet Blog ponders what it would be like to be "dropped into the inside a game of Mario Super Brothers" (with Adventure)... here.

- Music Slut reports that The French Kicks are readying a remix covers EP... here.

Kalise By El Guincho

Are the beats laid down by Barcelona-based 24 year old Pablo Diaz-Reixa a/k/a El Guincho "the new world music"? Maybe. His album, Alegranza! does mix traditional island song, African rhythms, and sampled psychedelics. It will be finally be released in the good 'ol US of A on October 7th via Young Turks/XL Recordings (and according to GvsB "remastered and possibly somewhat de-sampled"). The fact is, this album casts a spell on me -- it puts me in a trance. I fucking love it. It's definitely a runner up for album of the year.

Downloadables:
"Kalise" (box.net mp3)
"Palmitos Park" (box.net mp3)

This is what Alegranza! looks like.


Discotecaoceano is here.
Mistletone is here.
XL Recordings is here.
Young Turks is here.
The Folías CD-R is here (zshare link).
Old GT link is here.
Pre-order the CD or double LP here.

Consider CLICKing
- OFF THE RECORD posts two songs by... uhhh, Songs... here. One song sounds like a "mellow Sonic Youth" and the other makes me think of Unrest. Listen to some Unrest: "Sugarshack" (box.net mp3)

- NEVVER posts a song by the five cats from the Motor City, MC5... here.

Never Stops By Deerhunter

Jeez... you go away for a few days and there's a new Virtual 7" from Atlas Sound (here) and then Microcastle and Weird Era Cont. and the Logos demos are LEAKED by Branford Cox by accident. Branford's apology is here.

You may have noticed the aura of hype around Microcastle which was due for release this Fall. I am going to restrain myself. I just going to post one song from Microcastle. Maybe you heard it already? It's a goodie.

Downloadable: "Never Stops" (box.net mp3)

The album looks like this:


My favorite song from Microcastle is probably "Nothing Ever Happened". If you want to know what that song sounds like, buy the album right now via iTunes or wait for the physical release or non-DRM digital release.

And now some Atlas Sound downloadable action: "S.S.C." (box.net mp3)

Get the whole thing (ok, one more song): Virtual 7" No. 4 (mediafire zip)

Oh yeah, more Deerhunter... the blog Southern Shelter has a live recording of Deerhunter from just last week... here.

Myspace page is here
Kranky page is here.
Brandford's blog is here.
SXSW page is here.
eMusic page is here.

Consider CLICKing: Vacation Edition
- I'm pretty psyched for A Bad Situationist. It features Sarah Silverman, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, H. Jon Benjamin, Ross Brockley, Robert Schimmel, Marc Maron, and Sam Seder

- Holy Crap! the diagrams in this post are friggin' hilarious. Covert Curiosity rules.

- XXJFG gets noisy with Fucked Up and Growing... here. You can listen to some Growing right now: "Swell" (social registry mp3)

- Hey, speaking of Fucked Up, it's guitarist name of 10,000 Marbles recommends that you listen to some Blank Dogs (a band that may or may not exist) over @ ptw... here.

- The Yellow Stereo reports that two members of Le Loup have left the band. One for social justice and the other for her own project Pree. More info... here. Oh and they are playing Irving with Stereolab in October... here. Listen: "We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!" (hardly art mp3)

- The Score: Who The Bloody Hell Are They 1, RIAA 0... KICKASS!

- PTST got to talking with BOAT... here. They had two NYC shows while I was gone, talk about Oh No Disaster. Guess I am just going to have to move to Seattle.

- Off The Record has Liars in their 5 Songs with feature... here.

- G vs B reports that El Guincho's Alegranza LP will (finally) be put out via XL/Young Turks on October 7. They have "Palmitos Park" ("all remastered and possibly somewhat de-sampled")... here. The original "Palmitos Park" mp3 is still available... here.

- Four classic songs from The Wipers have found their way to captain's dead... here.

- The blog A Million Miles Away has a kickass little post about (J.D. King &) The Coachmen... here.

- The Score (con't): RIAA 1, Muxtape 0... Fuck!

- Have you checked out Sunil Sawani's semi-fake record label, Part Time Songs? Here is a song by King Filament... "Killer" (part time mp3)

- You should probably watch YACHT's new vid for "Summer Song"... here.

I'll Hit The Breaks By Yppah

If you like the instrumental goodness of Low Scores, you might like this post.

Joe Corrales is Yppah, and Yppah is from Houston, TX. He mixes guitars + keyboards + loops (sampled from real drums) to create mid to downtempo jazz/electronic/indie soundscapes. Way back in 2006, he put out You Are Beautiful At All Times.

Yppah says: "with you are beautiful at all times i was trying to combine all my influences plus the mood i had been in that past year i was writing it."

Take a listen...

Downloadable: "I'll Hit The Breaks" (box.net mp3)
Streamable: "Good Like That" (youtube)

Ninjatune is here.
Wiki Wiki Wiki here.
Imeem page is here.
Day Of The Woman myspace page is here.
FYI: Day Of The Woman is Yppah + Low Scores + Stenographer
eMusic page is here.

Consider CLICKing
- PUKEKOS posts the We Got Communication EP by Aussie indie rockers Love Of Diagrams... here.

- Increase Your Weirdness posts some "old stuff"... here.

- Northwestern blog, lamestain posts a Nirvana boot... here.

- Sons And Daughters give a spirited yet muted performance of three songs @ daytrotter... here.

- 20 Jazz Funk Greats posts US Girls + Arch M + El Guincho... here.

- The Forkcast has New New New Tobacco of BMSR (here) + New New New Shaky Hands (here).

- The Octopus Project's new single "Wet Gold" is up @ Side One Track One... here.

- Vids Vids Vids... "Orphans" by Beck (here) and "Highways Of Gold" by Jaguar Love (here) + an mp3... "Highways Of Gold" (matador mp3)

- NEVVER has "The Sound Of Summer" (a la Art Brut) posted just for you... here.

- Finally, closing out this consider clicking is The Smudge Of Ashen Fluff who ripped The Go! Team's recent performance on The Current... here.

Antoine And Birdskull By Jaguar Love

Blood Brothers Make Grave? Pretty Girls Make Blood Brothers?

Nah.

Jaguar Love. Their full length album hits the shelves/servers in less than one month (August 19th). It is entitled Take Me To The Sea. And if you have not heard "Bats Over The Pacific Ocean" yet, I implore you to click here.

The album art looks like this:


Listen to one of my favorite tracks from Take Me To The Sea: "Antoine And Birdskull" (box.net mp3)

For comparison purposes, listen to the demo: "Welcome To The Bird Skull Palace" (box.net mp3)

Matador page is here.
Crystal City is here.
eMusic page is here.
CMJ's Siren coverage and tour dates are here.



Consider CLICKing
- Gorilla Vs. Bear points out that Discos Compulsivos/LUV LUV wants you to have a free El Guincho album. While not as trippy as Alegranza, it's totally worth checking out... Folías CD-R (zshare link). Listen: "Color de Galleta" (box.net mp3)

- The Go! Team have a new "free" stuff section on their website, but to enter it you need to give up an email address. You'll get "a new recording of milk crisis, the 4 track EP of get it together, their first release, some remixes they've done of others and others have done of them and some song parts for you to monkey around with - ladyflash and the chuck d featuring flashlight fight"... here. Listen: "Milk Crisis (Anglo Japanese Version)" (box.net mp3)

- Last.fm and Pandora lovers have you surfed over to favtape for personalized mixes?

- Deerhoof is now part of cashmusic. They posted the sheet music for their new single "Fresh Born" and they want to hear your version of it... here. Speaking of cashmusic, here is the latest Kristin Hersh freebie: "Moan" (cashmusic mp3). More Krisitn Hersh cashmusic is here.

- A boot of Health at ATJfest has been posted by nyctaper... here.

- IA sets Bound Stems against Imperial China (can't they all just get along?? yes apparently)... here.

- The Blakes get out of their garage and get over to Daytrotter... here.

- The Top 10 Nonsense Words In Pop Music @ Berkeley Place... here.

- "That's No Melon"

- Finally, The Sound Of Indie has a boot of a Stereolab show from 1994... here. Flashforward 14 years... Stereolab develop a "Neon Beanbag" (box.net mp3). FYI: Chemical Chords comes out on August 19th, the same day as Take Me To The Sea, freaky.

The Shittiest Song On This Record By Parts & Labor

Last weekend, I posted a really short song... "This Is What You Wanted" (box.net mp3) by Part & Labor. It comes from the Escapers Two EP (it's got 51 songs in 30 minutes). It's a Post-Mersh-esque explosion of an album (except it ain't a compilation of EPs). I picked it up at the Parts & Labor/YACHT show last night. I thought I would share "The Shittiest Song On This Record" (box.net mp3).

The funny thing is every time I type "Escapers Two" I have to stop myself from typing "Neck Escaper(s Two)" (mp3). Methinks I have been listening to too much No Age.

Some shots from the show last night:

BJ


Everyone but Sarah


Dan


Sarah


Fingers go into ears


Flickr page is here.

Escapers Two BONUS:"Fire Away" (box.net mp3)
What they sound like when they write longer songs BONUS: "A Great Divide" (mp3)

Myspace page is here.
Jagjaguwar page is here.
Cardboard Records is here.
Ace Fu is here.
Emusic page is here.
Buy Escapers Two here.

Consider Clicking
- P'fork's P'cast posted up some fresh El Guincho remixing AiH, whom as you probably know are quite remixable... here. Listen: "Like It or Not (El Guincho Remix)" (p'fork mp3)

- Seen the Health vid for "Heaven"/ad for the retro-Winter Olympics?? Watch it here.

- Spoon? fm Broadcast? Captain's Dead!... here.

March 2007 Mix

Today I have something new (and old) for you. Sometimes we are a bit too focused on the NOW... right?

Let's take some time and reflect. Let's look back and see what stands up and what falls down. Let's listen to a mix that looks back one year to March 2007.

Downloadable: "March 2007 Mix" (zip) (mirror: sendspace)

This mix features:
Ted Leo + The Pharmacists
My Teenage Stride
El Jesus De Magico
The Mae Shi
Night Of Pleasure
El Perro Del Mar
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Jana Hunter
The National
Low
Jesu
The Manhattan Love Suicides
Los Abandoned
YACHT
Aesop Rock
Motico
Rocket From The Crypt
50 Foot Wave
These Arms Are Snakes
Antibalas

The track listing:


Consider Clicking
- lamestain has another installment of the history of TAD (including a short unfruitful interview with Steve Albini)... here.

- Gorilla Vs. Bear has a mix that El Guincho made for The FADER... here.

- Bushwick Is Beautiful interviews High Places (the singers of "[e]very national anthem going off at the same time in a bucket of water")... here.

- There's new eMusic Selects selections today featuring SUSU and Hands On Heads... here.

- There's two 'single files' for your consideration at ptw... one new new new track by The Sword (here) and another by Witch (here).

- There's is a new Brenmar remix of These Are Powers floating about on the internets. Here it is: "Little Sisters Of Beijing (Brenmar Remix)" (mp3). Here is the original track: "Little Sisters Of Beijing" (mp3)

- Also available now is another track from pacificUV's new longplayer... "Tremelo" (mp3)

Palmitos Park By El Guincho

Yes Yes, it's the Spanish Panda Bear... Pablo Díaz-Reixa a/k/a El Guincho.

Listen: "Palmitos Park" (mp3)

Watch (a lot of Windsurfing): "Kalise" (youtube)

Discotecaoceano is here.
Mistletone is here.
S'Gum Band To Watch post is here.
El Guincho on the Forkcast is here.

Consider Clicking
- It's the weekend. Have a little party in your ears with Girl Talk... "Bounce That" (mp3)

- I want to hear the audio that goes along with this story!

- I am sick of mustaches.

- Staten Island will FUNK you up! new new new Budos Band vid on Spinner... here.

- The End Of Radio! Big Black on the FM(?) is over at Captain's Dead... here.

- We Care Because We Nerd (featuring Fuck Buttons) @ XXJFG... here.

- BV has a RMX from JLF of MSTRKRFT (of "Pick Your Poison" by Mr. Miyagi)... here.

- Speedy Recovery Alice Glass. In the meantime Health take over the headlining slot. Listen: "The Problem Is (Thrust Lab Remix)" (mp3)

VIDEO: Boy Void By NO AGE

It's time for a video by LA noise-loving wunderkins NO AGE.

Watch this with your eyeballs: "Boy Void" (smallish mov)



PPM page is here.
Upset The Rhythm page is here.
FatCat page is here.

Consider Clicking
- Listen to Lenny's MLK gospel mix... here.
- Six Eyes has a new mix up (finally)... here.
- Lamestain looks at early Screaming Trees (with a nice fat zip at the end)... here.
- Crackers United posts "Art School Girls of Doom" by Panda Riot... here.
- Tullycraft posts some Beat Happening... here.
- New New New Bob Mould @ KEXP... here.
- Pitchfork's Forkcast has two new recordings for your consideration... (1) "Fata Morgana" by El Guincho, and (2) "Protective Nourishment" by Foot Village... here and here, respectively.
- Captain's Dead has The Beatles boot, More Sweet Apples... here.
- BIGSTEREO is excited for the new Kills record... here.