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.

What’cha Gonna Do About It? By Condo Fucks

So, are Yo La Tengo moonlighting as lofi garagerockers the Condo Fucks? Yeah, that's what it looks like. I mean THIS pretty much nails it. Right? The album proper (named Fuckbook) doesn't hit for a while... Feb 2009 methinks. This here track was on the Matador Intended Play Sampler for Fall 2008. I meant to post it earlier, but I was trying to get my blog declared a bank so I could get some of that sweet sweet bailout money.

Hey Sec. Paulson, GIMME GIMME!

Downloadable: "What’cha Gonna Do About It?" (box.net mp3)

Fuckbook preorders are being sold... here.

Isn't it so Fucked Up that some bands don't have a myspace.
eMusic page will be linked here at some point in the future I am sure.

Consider CLICKing
- C'mon peoples... are you telling me you do not want a free Black Keys DVD???

- This Week In Forkcast:
(Prefuse 73 remixing TVOTR)... here.
(El Perro Del Mar gives you something to play at 12 AM 1/1/09)... here.
(new new new Cut Off Your Hands)... here.
(Who knew Smashing Pumpkins had a song about the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling? Not me)... here.
(For YSB: Bruuuuuuce!)... here.
(New New New Portishead "Magic Doors" vid)... here.

- SUCKA PANTS posts some Reverend Peyton's Big Band... here.

- Flea Rakkers? NEVVER!!! here.

- AOL's Spinner gets rad with a free FIASCO mp3... here.

White Snow By Ben Weaver

So, Ben Weaver has a new album entitled The Ax in the Oak coming out next month. In putting this recording together Ben worked with former Red Red Meat member Brian Deck (who had produced Iron And Wine, Modest Mouse, and Califone among others). In the studio were cellist
Julia Kent (Antony And The Johnsons), vocalist Erica Froman
(Anathallo), Will Duncan (drums), Blake Sloan (bass), and bassist Steve Reidell a/k/a STV SLV (The Hood Internet).

Downloadables:
"White Snow" (bloodshot mp3)
"Alligators And Owls" (bloodshot mp3)

Given Reidell's involvement will we see a Ben Weaver Vs. The Cool Kids Vs. James Pants Vs. Titus Andronicus mashup sometime soon?

Myspace page is here.
Bloodshot Records page is here.
CD Baby page is here.
eMusic page is here.
A kickass Aquarium Drunkard post with some old unmastered tracks is here.

Consider CLICKing
- Head over to AV Beatbots for a Thrust Lab boot... here. You may remember them from this remix of the Health song... "The Problem Is (Thrust Lab Remix)" (fanatic mp3)

- Another Fucked Up mp3 is over @ the Matablog... here.

- IHEARTCOMIX points us to the Noise/Floor Crew's latest effort Third Floor: Portishead's Third Reimagined. The whole album remixed fer freeeeee... here. Listen: "Machine Gun (Noise/Floor Crew Remix)" (trash menagerie mp3)

2008 (so far)

If you have not listened to the Contrast Podcast this year, you have to check out this week's episode.

Listen: "2008 (so far)" (mp3)

I chose "Cat Swallow" (pirate mp3) by Royal Bangs after not being able to decide between "Eraser" (sub pop mp3) by No Age and "The Melody" (box.net mp3) by The Mae Shi. Since my choice, I realized that there was another song that blew me away this year, and it turns out that no one else picked it for the podacst. I really thought someone else would pick something from this recording. Guess not.

The song: "Machine Gun" (ysi) or (youtube) by Portishead

I also seriously consider tracks by Motico and Jaguar Love, oh and Crystal Castles. Listen to some more killer tracks from 2008... here.

The Playlist:
(00:00) Flight of the Conchords - All the ladies of the world
Tim from The face of today

(03:05) Royal Bangs - Cat swallow
Bob from this blog you are reading right now

(07:45) These Modern Socks - Where I came from
Linda from Speed of dark

(14:14) Japandroids - No Allegiance to the Queen
FiL from Pogoagogo

(21:47) The Cure - The only one
Adam

(26:24) DeVotchKa - The clockwise witness
Marcy from Lost in your inbox

(31:14) The Weepies - Old coyote
Natalie from Mini-obs

(35:41) KaiserCartel - Okay
Duke of Straw from The Late Greats

(39:31) The Wedding Present - Spider-man on Hollywood
Jim from Quick Before it Melts

(42:48) Be Your Own Pet - Becky
Dirk from Sexy Loser

But then a quick jaunt into mid/late 90's nostalgia crappiness (sorry)...

(46:45) Blind Melon - Wishing Well
Chip from Atomic Ned

(51:17) Counting Crows - Cowboys
James from Appetite For Distraction

(57:29) At the Stars - Forget
Andy from Circles of Concrete

(01:01:49) Stars - Take me to the riot
Miss Wired

(01:06:10) Religious Knives - The sun
ZB from So the wind won't blow it all away

(01:12:27) Sun Kil Moon - Unlit hallway
Greer from A Sweet Unrest

Consider CLICKing
- Matablog posts this youtube vid with clips of Jaguar Love and "Georgia Take Me to the Sea" playing... here.

- Sweden's Air France is a band not an airline. Gorilla Vs. Bear really really likes them... here.

Live: Precision Auto (Superchunk Cover) By Les Savy Fav

Les Savy Fav have a new album, entitled: After The Balls Drop 3AM 1-1-08 NYC (get it? Balls Drop? uhhhhhh yep).

It ends with four covers...
"Debaser" (youtubed original vid)
"Astro Zombies" (youtubed original still)
"Sliver" (youtubed original vid)
and
"Everybody's Gotta Live" (youtubed original still)

Here is Les Savy Fav doing a cover that is NOT on their new album.

Downloadable: "Precision Auto (Superchunk Cover) (Live)" (box.net mp3)

Myspace page is here.
Southern page is here.
French Kiss page is here.
Amazon mp3 page is here.
Emusic page is here.

Consider Clicking
- Live @ The Cake Shop on Friday
The Muggabears
slasher risk!
SUSU
DINOWALRUS
Plus, Saturday looks to be CRAZY with 3 to 3 with 3

- Bushwick Is Beautiful reviews the new Portishead on vinyl, track by track... here.

- With all the 80's nostalgia flying around out there, why not actually listen to something LITERALLY from the 80s. A boot of The Go-Go's @ Beehive Candy... here.

- Here's some new indie garage pop from Motocade: "Soap Opera" (mp3). Watch the vid... here.

- Warped Reality says goodbye to the Too Pure arrow (boo, 4AD)... here.

- Finally, Cryptonites want you to remix their song "Can't Give You Up" more about that... here.

Something In The Water By The Jealous Girlfriends

Did you know that tix to The Jealous Girlfriends' 5/27-28 CD release shows with Sea Wolf at The Merc go on sale tomorrow? More about that here.

Listen: "Something In The Water" (mp3)

Myspace page is here.
Good Fences is here.
CD Baby page is here.

Consider Clicking
- Chunklet was very pissed about missing John Brannon singing a Negative Approach song with Fucked Up... here.

- Drink some coffee in Fort Greene/Clinton Hill... here. And don't forget Urban Spring (pricy but delicious).

- VIDS VIDS VIDS: (1) Watch The Sword's new vid for "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians" @ S'Gum... here. (2) Watch Portishead's "Machine Gun" vid @ BVegan... here. (3) Matablog has a live Times New Viking vid... here. (4) Oh, and uhhhhh.... royal contact high?

- Download "Hurly/Burly" by Man Man in The 'Gum Drop... here.

- The Rawking Refuses To Stop posts a wee track entitled "Zombie" by one Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti a/k/a Fela Kuti... here.

- I Rock Cleveland blogs about Exit Stencil artists Hot Cha Cha... here. Listen: "J'accuse"

- IA is excited about seeing Le Loup and The Ruby Suns (with mp3s)... here.