Hey guys! Well its nearing the end of 2008 and it's therefore time we told you what we thought were the best albums of the year. Quite a few good albums were released this year. A truly assorted mix of music made the list this year including albums from stadium fillers, Australian artists and even debutants. We find it hard to make an ordered list because there are just too many, so we have compiled a list of the best 20 albums of 2008 just for you.
So, without further a due and in no particular order, here are our favourite albums of 2008.
1. Black Mountain- In The Future
Well, there was no sophomore slump with this album. This Canadian band has taken their music to another level with this album. Sounding like Black Sabbath meets Pink Floyd, Black Mountain have made an album in 2008 sound like an album that's come from the late 70's. If you get a chance to see these guys play live, do it. Put simply, 'In The Future' is epic; just take a look at the lengths of some of their songs.
2. TV on The Radio - Dear Science,
This is unmistakeably Tv On The Radio's most radio-friendly album and that ain't a bad thing. Basically it means it's their easiest to listen to from start to finish without skipping a single song. In my head, that makes an album. The kids at Music Universe are absolutely thrilled that after their last album, TOTR could return with such an outstanding listen that made it a no-brainer for making the 2008 Best Album list. This album has more structure and polish compared to their previous albums and it also appears to have more sun shining down on it.
So, without further a due and in no particular order, here are our favourite albums of 2008.
1. Black Mountain- In The Future
Well, there was no sophomore slump with this album. This Canadian band has taken their music to another level with this album. Sounding like Black Sabbath meets Pink Floyd, Black Mountain have made an album in 2008 sound like an album that's come from the late 70's. If you get a chance to see these guys play live, do it. Put simply, 'In The Future' is epic; just take a look at the lengths of some of their songs.
2. TV on The Radio - Dear Science,
This is unmistakeably Tv On The Radio's most radio-friendly album and that ain't a bad thing. Basically it means it's their easiest to listen to from start to finish without skipping a single song. In my head, that makes an album. The kids at Music Universe are absolutely thrilled that after their last album, TOTR could return with such an outstanding listen that made it a no-brainer for making the 2008 Best Album list. This album has more structure and polish compared to their previous albums and it also appears to have more sun shining down on it.
3. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
This man has one of the most intriguing voices to come out of the states in years. How to describe this voice? Mouth watering, tears to the eyes, smile to the face, birds chirping in the trees by your window. Just delightful. Bon Iver wrote this in a little campervan whilst secluded in the wilderness for a week. One of our most listened too albums of the year - easily.
4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
What an album for a debut album! What an album for a bunch of early 20 year olds! Mixing baroque pop with classic rock and British folk, this Seattle band have made music that goes well beyond their years. Compared to the likes of Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket and The Shins, Fleet Foxes' album has gotten some of the best reviews of the year across the world. Think sweet holy harmonies, mixed with American country and gospel music. Must have in record collection.
5. Empire of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
This album is a collaboration between Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele and PNAU's Nick Littlemore. The music feels like you are literally walking on a dream. Go and play 'We Are The People' really loud whilst driving and you will understand why. The album has a kinda positive mid-tempo excursion into easy listening shiny pop. The sweet vibrations that reverberate from the speakers when this album is on, is like waking up to blue skies and sunshine. It has its left and right turns throughout the album, but overall, it's just fantastic.
6. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend was the buzz band of 2007 and they didn't disappoint when they released their album earlier this year. With such a concise and concentrated sound, mixing African, reggae, melodic indie pop together, Vampire Weekend are the real deal. Their lyrics contain a witty punch, yet are evocative and not gimmicky. When you see them live it feels as if you are watching Simon & Garfunkel. Love em too bits.
7. Metronomy - Nights Out
Metronomy ala Joseph Mount has remixed for Franz Ferdinand, The Klaxons, Kate Nash, Lykee Li and so many more. This, 'Nights Out' is their second studio album. This electro-pop group has made a really catchy album that is an instant party soundtrack. This album, coupled with the remixes Mount has worked on, will surely mark him as one of the most promising producers come out of the UK of recent times.
8. The Living End - White Noise
The Living End's 5th album is the most consistently brilliant collection of songs that they have released to date. Chris Cheney's morphing guitar style just gets better and better with each album. This album has also given a lending contrast to the persistent rockabilly stylings that the band has displayed in the past. Hints of AC/DC influences are obvious considering it was produced by a former AC/DC album producer. This album showcases The Living End's raw talent, passion and spirit that most in the music industry lack.
9. Flight of The Conchords - Flight of The Conchords
Flight of The Conchords' album is by far one of the funniest albums in recent times. Probably not since Tenacious D, has an album made us laugh so hard, sing and listen to so much and on repeated occasions. The New Zealand duo have basically grabbed their best songs from their hit tv series and made a compilation album. If you can't laugh to this album and have the songs etched into your memory bank, then you have issues.
10. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue/Bambou
This was Dennis Wilson's only solo album. This year it was re-issued along with some bits n pieces that never surfaced. His grainy, rough voice makes for such a beautiful, peaceful and soulful album that it’s hard not to want to listen to this double disc all the way through. Hang out with your mates on a Sunday arvo and play this disc in the background. Sweet.
11. Falling Off The Lavender Bridge - Lightspeed Champion
After listening to the former Test Icicles debut album, we were already ready for his sophomore to come out. Do not expect anything like his former band’s music. This album is much mellower, has violins, pianos and female harmonies on it. He mixes gentle music with tense lyrics and seems like a man with a lot of anger. However, if you can catch him live, you'll see he is nothing more than a shy, young, innocent Star Trek lover.
12. M83 - Saturdays=Youth
This album marks the French duo's sense of nostalgia. The album has sounds that some might think are outdated, but are actually in fact stylish, vibrant and fresh. It imposes this kind of haze across one's mind that everything's going to be alright. Like their former albums, it still offers that cinematic feel to it, yet has some ripper songs that could have been plucked straight out of the 80's bin. It gives you a really warm feeling inside knowing that m83 have probably produced their best record to date.
13. The Presets- Apocalypso
Winner of countless ARIA awards and the Triple J 'album of the year' award, I don't think there was any doubt this album would make the list. From start to finish you get taken along this awesome wave that just doesn't allow you to get off. Cracking dance tracks that will shake any dancefloor coupled with a couple slower ones, makes this album a must have in anyone's Christmas stocking. Direct from Sydney, it's another epic album for 2008.
14. Bloc Party - Intimacy
Winner of countless ARIA awards and the Triple J 'album of the year' award, I don't think there was any doubt this album would make the list. From start to finish you get taken along this awesome wave that just doesn't allow you to get off. Cracking dance tracks that will shake any dancefloor coupled with a couple slower ones, makes this album a must have in anyone's Christmas stocking. Direct from Sydney, it's another epic album for 2008.
14. Bloc Party - Intimacy
This was a tough one. Despite mixed reviews, 'Intimacy' somehow happened to always get into the stereo system at the office. This album was half mixed by 'Silent Alarm's' producer and half by 'A Weekend In The City's' producer and that’s exactly how it turned out. However, there are some bloody good tunes on this album. It's quite an ambitious album and seems like Bloc Party are trying to move away from their earlier sounds. Well, they don't actually do that, but that’s why we rate the album. They should never stray too far from their original sounds and this album doesn't. Hence, it makes it to our best of list for 2008.
15. The Foals - Antidotes
Think The Klaxons meets Bloc Party meets Battles. That’s what you get when you listen to The Foal's debut album. This album is very addictive. Great melodies. Great hooks. Sometimes punchy. Sometimes spacey. This album really gives life back to the new wave, post-punk revival genre. Hope an album like this comes around every year.
16. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
All we can say is this is an either love-it or hate-it album. It requires one to have patience and really try and absorb it for all it offers. It's extremely experimental (mind you so are most of their back catalogue) and quite erratic at times, but overall it provides something that no other album does this year - thought. At times it feels like Ziggy Stardust has come on board because of its creativeness and mischievous sounds. Nevertheless, do us a favour and give it a listen.
17. Santogold - Santogold
Since day 1, Santogold has always been compared to M.I.A., which in our eyes isn't a bad thing. However, Santogold is not just a rip off artist. This album proves it. Santogold mixes hip-hop, dub, rock, electro and pop all into one album. It's definitely an album that’s worthy of high rotation at any party, especially one with lots of girls. It's rowdy, energetic, catchy and carefree. It's just so good.
18. Coldplay - Viva La Via or Death And All His Friends
Not much needs to be said about Coldplay. They are arguably the biggest band in the world right now. This album is what X&Y should have been if they weren't rushed by their record company. Brian Eno is a genius and that’s made clear with this album. Coldplay have been pushed to their boundaries and taken some risks. Well, it's paid off. They haven't veered away from their normal sound too much; they've just found a more interesting way to present it. It's a really satisfying listen that won't make you want to skip a single track.
19. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
MGMT somehow manages to blend psychedelic rock and indie-electro punk into ten songs that can at times take you to another level. With some of the catchiest tunes to come out of NYC since The Strokes, MGMT have become the hottest new band of 2008. It's not only their music, but their lyrics that make this album so brilliant. They're witty, tongue-in-cheek and really fun. Hundreds of kids around the world sing their songs; hundreds more will have their album. If you don't, there's something wrong with you this year.
20. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
Who would've thought that after 13 albums, Nick Cave could still produce such brilliance (besides the die hard fans)? This dark, sexy, decadent album is typical Nick Cave. His lyrics are probably the best part of it all (as they always are). He does seem to talk more than sing, but who cares when it just sounds perfect. Some of the music, we think only Cave could get away with too. The mixture of elegant tones with devil-like poetic lyrics just makes this at-times-provocative album, a masterpiece.
**Notable absentees to miss out coz it aint the top 30 albums
B. Fleischmann - The Humbuckling Coil
The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Scars on Broadway - Scars on Broadway
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
The Dears - Missiles
Ray LaMontange - Gossip In The Grain
Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair The Raconteurs - Consolers of The Lonely
***Notable EP's
Tame Impala - Tame Impala
Antony and The Johnsons - Another World
One Day as a Lion - One Day as a Lion
Take a look at last year's 2007 'Best Albums' list here
Please make your comments below as to what albums we might be missing...
15. The Foals - Antidotes
Think The Klaxons meets Bloc Party meets Battles. That’s what you get when you listen to The Foal's debut album. This album is very addictive. Great melodies. Great hooks. Sometimes punchy. Sometimes spacey. This album really gives life back to the new wave, post-punk revival genre. Hope an album like this comes around every year.
16. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
All we can say is this is an either love-it or hate-it album. It requires one to have patience and really try and absorb it for all it offers. It's extremely experimental (mind you so are most of their back catalogue) and quite erratic at times, but overall it provides something that no other album does this year - thought. At times it feels like Ziggy Stardust has come on board because of its creativeness and mischievous sounds. Nevertheless, do us a favour and give it a listen.
17. Santogold - Santogold
Since day 1, Santogold has always been compared to M.I.A., which in our eyes isn't a bad thing. However, Santogold is not just a rip off artist. This album proves it. Santogold mixes hip-hop, dub, rock, electro and pop all into one album. It's definitely an album that’s worthy of high rotation at any party, especially one with lots of girls. It's rowdy, energetic, catchy and carefree. It's just so good.
18. Coldplay - Viva La Via or Death And All His Friends
Not much needs to be said about Coldplay. They are arguably the biggest band in the world right now. This album is what X&Y should have been if they weren't rushed by their record company. Brian Eno is a genius and that’s made clear with this album. Coldplay have been pushed to their boundaries and taken some risks. Well, it's paid off. They haven't veered away from their normal sound too much; they've just found a more interesting way to present it. It's a really satisfying listen that won't make you want to skip a single track.
19. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
MGMT somehow manages to blend psychedelic rock and indie-electro punk into ten songs that can at times take you to another level. With some of the catchiest tunes to come out of NYC since The Strokes, MGMT have become the hottest new band of 2008. It's not only their music, but their lyrics that make this album so brilliant. They're witty, tongue-in-cheek and really fun. Hundreds of kids around the world sing their songs; hundreds more will have their album. If you don't, there's something wrong with you this year.
20. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
Who would've thought that after 13 albums, Nick Cave could still produce such brilliance (besides the die hard fans)? This dark, sexy, decadent album is typical Nick Cave. His lyrics are probably the best part of it all (as they always are). He does seem to talk more than sing, but who cares when it just sounds perfect. Some of the music, we think only Cave could get away with too. The mixture of elegant tones with devil-like poetic lyrics just makes this at-times-provocative album, a masterpiece.
**Notable absentees to miss out coz it aint the top 30 albums
B. Fleischmann - The Humbuckling Coil
The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Scars on Broadway - Scars on Broadway
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
The Dears - Missiles
Ray LaMontange - Gossip In The Grain
Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair The Raconteurs - Consolers of The Lonely
***Notable EP's
Tame Impala - Tame Impala
Antony and The Johnsons - Another World
One Day as a Lion - One Day as a Lion
Take a look at last year's 2007 'Best Albums' list here
Please make your comments below as to what albums we might be missing...
No comments:
Post a Comment