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.

November 2007 Mix

Time to take a look back again. What was Novemeber 2007 like? Does of the music I was posting then still hold up? The answer is pretty much.

Downloadable: "November 2007 Mix" (box.net zip)

Tracklisting/mp3s:
1. "Aly, Walk With Me" (vice mp3) by The Raveonettes
2. "Lovely Weather" (fanatic mp3) by The Vandelles
3. "Pinkies" by The Big Sleep
4. "World Heart" (box.net mp3) by Abe Vigoda
5. "Mr. T Cereal" (box.net mp3) by dd/mm/yyyy
6. "Lassoo" (mp3) by The Duke Spirit
7. "Untitled" (box.net mp3) by The Cave Singers
8. "Calvary Scars" (box.net mp3) by Deerhunter
9. "Vomiting Mirrors" (load mp3) by Clockcleaner
10. & 11. "(My Head)/RIP Allegory" (matador mp3) by Times New Viking
12. "Lovely Allen" (beggars mp3) by Holy Fuck
13. "One Man Tag Crew" (box.net mp3) by Dub Trio
14. "New Grace" (box.net mp3) by High Places
15. "Killers" (social registry mp3) by Psychic Ills
16. "The Life Here" (fanatic mp3) by Yea Big & Kid Static
17. "Crank That (Low Scores Remix)" (mp3) by Soulja Boy
18. "Aly, Walk With Me (Raveonettes Cover)" (kindercore mp3) by Ruby Isle

Consider CLICKing
- R.E.M. covering Mission Of Burma!! PUKEKOS!! HERE!!

- SoCal indie rockers The Muslims are now The Soft Pack. More at Brooklyn Vegan... troll it up here. Listen: "Bright Side" (box.net mp3)

- Best Of 2008: The Berkeley Place Blog declares Curses by Future Of The Left Album Of The Year... here.

Manchasm (Live) By Future Of The Left

Today I have some news for you. It's not actually that "new" per se, but whatevs. Future Of The Left are going to be putting out a live album on 4AD early next year. It is entitled Last Night I Saved Her From Vampires. The album features live versions of new songs with titles like "Drink Nike", "Distant Jabs At A Soul", "V.D.F.A" and "Cloak The Dagger". The FOTLers are now selling the album at their live gigs (UKers get on this). More album deets are here.

This is what the live album sounds like...
Downloadable: "Manchasm (Live)" (box.net mp3)

This is what the original of that song sounds like...
Downloadable: "Manchasm" (box.net mp3)

The Album Art


Myspace page is here.
4AD page is here.
Beggar's Page is here.
Too Pure page is here.
Wiki Wiki Wiki here.
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

Previously Posted BONUS: "The Hope That House Built" (beggars mp3)

Consider CLICKing
- Blogger and Deerhunter Bradford Cox points out that Adam Bruneau made a couple Deerhunter vids. Watch both vids... here. We like this one:

Streamable: "Cover Me Slowly" (vimeo)

Embeddable:


- Watch the PTST vid of Mason Proper. Read his review... here.

September 2007 Mix

Holy shit! September 2007 rocked. Remember it with me.

Download the zip: "September 2007 Mix" (sendspace)

1. "adeadenemyalwaysmellsgood" (beggars mp3) by Future Of The Left

2. "Knowledge In Hand" (box.net mp3) by The Forms

3. "We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!" (hardly art mp3) by Le Loup

4. "The Psychic" (stationary heart mp3) by Double Dagger

5. "Neck Escaper" (upset the rhythm mp3) by No Age

6. "Perfect Skin" (fanatic mp3) by Health

7. "To Fix The Gash In Your Head" (killer rock and roll mp3) by A Place To Bury Strangers

8. "Duplexes Of The Dead" (ysi mp3) by The Fiery Furnaces

9. "Attitude (Misfits Cover)" (box.net mp3) by Mika Miko

10. "The Punks Are Writing Love Songs" (mp3) by Tullycraft

11. "The Girl (Beck Remix)" (ysi mp3) by Dr. Dog

12. "For You" (mp3) by C.O.C.O.

13. "The Killers" (toolshed mp3) by Robert Pollard

14. "Car Radio" (mp3) by Spoon

15. "Jenny I'm Sneaking Out" (mp3) by Oranges Band

16. "You Is My Hot Rabbit" (box.net mp3) by No Age

17. "Heart And Soul Dub" (social registry mp3) by Jah Division

18. "A Sunday Smile" (mp3) by Beruit

19. "A Big Deposit" (box.net mp3) by Please Dept.

20. "Guitar Feelings (Unmastered)" (box.net mp3) by The Muggabears

21. "NO MORE LONG YEARS (Risk Remix)" (franki chan mp3) by Matt & Kim as remixed by Risk.

22. "Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End Of Your Feral Days" (scjag mp3) by Sunset Rubdown

Consider CLICKing
- Aural States has a new contest plus an awesome Thrushes mp3... here.

- You love covers, right? Sure we all do. This week's Contrast Podcast is part one in a two part covers theme... "Covers that are very different (from the originals)" (mp3). Track list and deets... here.

- Yesterday, PTST brought us a "blast from the past," Soundgarden's Superunknown. Relive (for the second time for the first time) those halcyon mid 90's... here. Yes, "Spoonman" is a silly song. And "Blackhole Sun" was overplayed to the extent that I still can't listen to it the whole way through. But you know what, I was always fond of "Let Me Drown" (ysi mp3). The guitar sounds almost UltraMeg-ish. Dig it.

- Shoegazers, Panda Riot has a new new new downloadable at RCRDLBL... here.

- WTF???

- Finally, The Spinto Band have a new poppy promo mp3 for your listening pleasure from the upcoming Moonwink... "Pumpkins And Paisley" (daily rind mp3). Pre-order and get a free 7"... here.

Fear And Loathing In Mahwah, NJ By Titus Andronicus

Purveyors of springsteenpunkblues, Titus Andronicus seemed to be playing in NY every five minutes this Summer. Amazingly, I missed every show.

So, they have a gig at Maxwell's with LA tropicalpunks Abe Vigoda and newnewwavers Love Is All coming up on October 13.

This may be the show where I finally get to see the band that lays down these hot summer jamz...

Downloadables:
"Fear And Loathing In Mahwah, NJ" (box.net mp3)
"Joset Of Nazareth's Blues" (box.net mp3)

Tix can be purchased... here.

Titus' blogspot is here.
Troubleman Unlimited is here.
eMusic page is here.

Consider CLICKing
- Hello From Promoland:
"The Hope That House Built" (beggars mp3) by Future Of The Left
"Twice Born" (matador mp3) by Fucked Up

- Watch Rage Against the Machine rock out a capella style at the Republican National Convention @ We Drink Old Gold... here.

- WTF??

The Cock-A-Doodle-Doo-Of Democracy By Shooting At Unarmed Men

Time to take a listen to the other 1/3 of Mclusky. I am talking about Shooting At Unarmed Men. Triptych was released quietly in the US this Spring. It has slowly been working itself into my playlists, and now it time to share a couple tracks with you.

Downloadables:
"The Cock-A-Doodle-Doo-Of Democracy" (box.net mp3)
"Boredom Is The Feeling That Everything Is A Waste Of Time" (box.net mp3) (note the name change since the last time I posted about this track)

Myspace page is here.
Too Pure page is here.
eMusic page is here.

NOTE: The other 2/3's of Mclusky became Future Of The Left. They have been mentioned once or twice here at GT.

Consider CLICKing
- Engage in some 90's indie vid nostalgia @ captain's dead... here.

- WTF (LEGO-style)?

Suddenly It's A Folk Song (Future Of The Left Cover) By We Versus The Shark

A Quick Post

Guess what? It's time for a new cover from We Versus The Shark's ongoing project, Murmurmur.

This time they cover post-mcluskyites Future Of The Left in a folk rock style.

Listen: "Suddenly It's A Folk Song (Future Of The Left Cover)" (mp3)

And for comparison purposes the more new wavey, much less folksy original: "Suddenly It's A Folk Song" (box.net mp3)

The tracks on Murmurmur are being released piecemeal on donation-based Quote - Unquote Records. More mp3s are available here.

Myspace page is here.
Hello Sir Records is here.
Quote Unquote is here.
Emusic page is here.

Top 11 Downloadables That Were Not Freakin' Everywhere in 2007 a/k/a t11mp3twnfe2007

This post is entitled Top 11 Downloadables That Were Not Freakin' Everywhere in 2007 or simply t11mp3twnfe2007. This list is comprised of bands that I think should have received a lot more attention than they did in 2007. I just wanted to thank the following bands for making 2007 awesome:

The Crystal Stilts
Comment: Love that kick-drum percussion plus surfy gits.

Double Dagger
Comment: Double Dagger do not fuck around. Nuff said.

The Duke Spirit
Comment: Chris Goss does good with the Duke Spirit.

El Jesus De Magico
Comment: Ohio. Ohio. Ohio.

The Exeter Popes
Comment: Their sound pays tribute to the same bands as Oxford Collapse but their name references a different town in England. Coincidence?

Freedom Haters
Comment: Besides having the greatest band name of the year, these cats can write songs yo.

The Future Of The Left
Comment: 2/3's of Mclusky is good enough for me. SAUM would be on this list too, but all I heard of them was this. Plus, I don't live in Australia.

O'Death
Comment: They serve up slabs of countryfolkpunk goodness. If you haven't heard it check out their Pixies cover of "Nimrod's Son" (ysi mp3). It's the best damn Pixies cover I have ever heard, know why? Because they make it their own.

Pterodactyl
Comment: Just the right blend of guitar, bass, drums, and samples. Perfecto.

The Shaky Hands
Comment: This band writes songs that stick in my head (and yours too, prolly).

Shepherdess
Comment: (postpunk * catpowerness) + violin = Green Seat!

Download: "t11mp3twnfe2007" (zip)

Oh yeah... the track listing:

Gila By Beach House

Here's some new new new indie dreampop from... Beach House.

Downloadable: "Gila" (box.net mp3) (sources: p'fork, s'gum, gvsb)

Myspace page is here.
Wiki Wiki Wiki here.
Emusic page is here.

Consider Clicking
- Live Le Loup!!! Head over to Instrumental Analysis... here.
- The One Alternative EP is available fer free... here.
- 'member them alterna-post-grungers Dirt Merchants? Here are a couple mp3s... "Scarified" (mp3) and "Mindfuck" (mp3). There's a whole lot more here.
- More best of '07s... GOF'er Dave Allen's is here, ack... here, and EARFARM looks back at 2007 and ahead at 2008, all the same time... here.
- Curses by FotL is finally out in the US, all proper like... here.
- There's a new Kills vid at s'gum... here.
- Anyone heard this yet?? It's "Don't You Evah" by Spoon (ok, penned by Natural History) remixed by Diplo. Answer: Yes.

You Is My Hot Rabbit By NO AGE

This just in... NO AGE have posted a track from the Teardrops 12" on their myspace page.

"[G]et it and play it for your parents and see what they think": "You Is My Hot Rabbit" (box.net mp3) (source: myspace)

I certainly trust my parents with these guys:


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

Consider Clicking
- I Rock Cleveland takes a look at A Place To Bury Strangers... here.
- One Year Ago Today on GT, Oneida's... "Up With People" (mp3).
- Local H are back. Instrumental Analysis has more... here.
- Fluxblog posts a track from the new Electric Six album, I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me From Being The Master... here. Unfortunately, there are no declaration of "FIRE!" in the song.
- New New New Liars at Raven Sings The Blues... here and at The Mainstream Ain't SO Bad... here.
- "Sometimes you find yourself trapped in a bubble"... here. (NO Firefox... Boo, IE and Safari OK though).
- Myspace? Genaro!
- MMMMmmmmm... Solar Powered Beer... here.
- The internet blog mfr. has posted some STNNNG, Vampire Hands, Gay Beast, and Daughters Of The Sun... here.
- Want "Manchasm" by The Future Of The Left? Go to Winter Academy... here. (Editor's Note: They have the greatest fucking blog banner ever!)

Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End Of Your Feral Days By Sunset Rubdown

Q: Another Wolf Parade side project?
A: Sunset Rubdown!



Downloadables featuring the unique vocal stylings of Spencer Krug:
"Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End Of Your Feral Days" (mp3)
"Stadiums And Shrines II" (mp3)

Damn them Canadians are busy beavers.

Jagjaguwar page is here.
Absolutely Kosher page is here.
Daytroter session is here.

Consider Clicking
- The Modern Music posts their Best Of 2007... here.
- Eardrums reports that The Go-Betweens get the Swedish treatment from The Radio Dept (via Friendly Noise)... here. More Friendly Noise: "Kissing You Is A Waste Of Time" (mp3) by We Feed Them Knives
- Get yrself some 90s postposthardcore supergroup nostalgia, with Rival Schools over at The Runout Groove... here.
- Have you listened to "adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood" (by Future Of The Left) yet? You can listen to it over at Die Stagediven (blog mit musik)... here.

Ich gebe es auch bekannt! "adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood" (mp3)

Distressed By The Death Set

Can't Stop Listening To...

Listen: "Distressed" by The Death Set

That is some kickass spazzcore (for lack of a better term).



More Downloadables:
"Paranoia" (mp3)
"Intermission" (mp3)
"Collision" (aiff)
"Zombie" (aiff)
"Distressed (Remix)" (aiff remixed by Bonde Do Role)

Myspace page is here.
Morphius Records page is here.

Consider Clicking
- IHEARTCOMIX has posted the CSS remix of Bonde Do Role's "Office Boy"... here.
- I Rock Cleveland has the "fucking sick" youtube vid for "adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood" by Future Of The Left... here.
- GvsB has Black Lips live from a Kibbutz in Israel... here. Listen: "Cold Hands (Live)" (mp3)
- A Place To Bury Strangers? BOAWS!... here.
- This Friday:


The Death Set again...

The Lord Hates A Coward By Future Of The Left

So I've been listening to lots of mclusky and Shooting At Unarmed Men, then I realized that I should also listen me up some Future Of The Left. (You know, for the sake of equity and all that, but it should be noted that their catalog is, well, limited compared to the other spawn of mclusky).

Downloadable: "The Lord Hates A Coward" (box.net mp3) (source: myspace)

Myspace page is here.
Too Pure page is here.
Emusic page is here.

Elsewhere:
- I Heart Comix has reposted the Ocelot remix of "Yea Yeah"... here.
me too BONUS: "Yea Yeah (Ocelot Remix)" (mp3)
- Who The Bloody Hell Are They? is streaming the new single from I Heart Hiroshima... here.
- The wordless music blog, Goodvibrato, has posted a track by Brooklyn's own The Big Sleep... here.
- VAGUE SPACE has a new feature, Blast From the Past. This time they look at 1995 (oh yeah)... here.