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Your favourite records of 2008

Started by Vitalstatistix, December 07, 2008, 11:45:26 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Cheeky Monkey

Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Steinski - What Does It All Mean? (Retrospective)
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Q-Tip - The Resurrection
Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
M83 - Saturdays & Youth
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Why? - Alopecia
Portishead - Third

All of these albums were unarguably awesome, but I'd agree that it hasn't been a particularly great year for new stuff. I have to say that I absolutely adore In Ghost Colours - like Xenomania dancing with Broken Social Scene oat a sunny beach party, while actually sounding maybe half as gay as that description just made them out to be.

Biggest disappointment - Skeletal Lamping.

Biggest surprise - The Resurrection. It's really fucking good.

Part Chimp

I'm surprised there's not a single vote for Tha Carter III so far. I'm still compiling mine.

Vitalstatistix

I found Tha Carter III very patchy after the first few listens. Wayne's still an intriguing mc, and stuff like "Dr. Carter" shows how imaginative he can be, but it's all just very hit and miss for me.

thugler

Is that 'tha carter' album good then? I never really thought of him as anything more than standard bitches and money music, and I remember one of his singles was annoying and repetitive. Have I misjudged him?


ThickAndCreamy

10 Friendly Fires
09 Kings of Leon- Only By The Night
08 Mystery Jets- 21
07 Santogold
06 Metronomy- Nights Out
05 Foals- Antidotes
04 Vampire Weekend
03 Glasvegas
02 TV on the Radio- Dear Science
01 MGMT- Oracular Spectacular

It's a shit list, but it's NME so who actually cares.

For Foals, I thought their first tracks were actually reasonable when I heard them last year, although they were nothing too riveting. I honestly thought they may progress into a half decent band if they improved their material however this obviously never came to fruition. After seeing them live at a festival last summer they just seemed average at best, then came the new material. Repetitive, some of the worst lyrics from a band I have heard this year and generally uninspiring shit. Foals could of succeeded as a reasonably good instrumental ensemble, but instead created one of the dullest, laziest and most uninspiring records this year. I wouldn't usually care but they actually seemed like they were going to have at least some potential, but it's now obvious the few songs they have made that were remotely reasonable were merely flukes.

ThickAndCreamy

Drowned In Sound have announced the top 50 albums of the year for them. M83 - Saturdays = Youth wins.
http://www.drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4135939

Spoiler alert
   1. M83 Saturdays=Youth (Review / Interview)
   2. Frightened Rabbit The Midnight Organ Fight (Review / Interview)
   3. Cut Copy In Ghost Colours (Review)
   4. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!! (Review / Interview)
   5. Deerhunter Microcastle (Review / Interview)
   6. Portishead Third (Review / Interview 1 | 2)
   7. Why? Alopecia (Review / Interview)
   8. Friendly Fires Friendly Fires (Review / Track-by-Track / Interview)
   9. The Kills Midnight Boom (Review / Interview)
  10. Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (Review / Interview)
  11. Fuck Buttons Street Horrrsing (Review / Interview / Tour Diary)
  12. Foals Antidotes (Review / Interview)
  13. Gang Gang Dance Saint Dymphna (Review / Interview)
  14. Elbow The Seldom Seen Kid (Review / Interview)
  15. Crystal Castles Crystal Castles (Review)
  16. Shearwater Rook (Review/ Track-by-Track)
  17. Sigur Rós Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (Review)
  18. Of Montreal Skeletal Lamping (Review)
  19. Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster (Review) / We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (Review)
  20. These New Puritans Beat Pyramid (Review / Interview)
  21. No Age Nouns (Review / Track-by-Track)
  22. Santogold Santogold (Review / Interview)
  23. Nine Inch Nails The Slip (Review)
  24. Okkervil River The Stand Ins (Review / Interview 1 / 2)
  25. Late Of The Pier Fantasy Black Channel (Review / Track-by-Track)
  26. Hauschka Ferndorf (Review)
  27. TV On The Radio Dear Science (Review)
  28. MGMT Oracular Spectacular (Review / Interview)
  29. Wild Beasts Limbo, Panto (Review / Interview 1 / 2)
  30. Atlas Sound Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (Review / Interview)
  31. White Williams Smoke (Review)
  32. The Stills Oceans Will Rise (Review)
  33. Mogwai The Hawk Is Howling (Review / Interview)
  34. Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (Review)
  35. The Futureheads This Is Not The World ( Review / Track-by-Track)
  36. Bloc Party Intimacy (Review)
  37. The Raveonettes Lust, Lust, Lust (Review)
  38. Johnny Foreigner Waited Up 'Til It Was Light (Review / Track-by-Track)
  39. El Guincho Alegranza (Review)
  40. Metronomy Nights Out (Review)
  41. Lykke Li Youth Novels (Review)
  42. Islands Arms Way (Review)
  43. British Sea Power Do You Like Rock Music? (Review/ Interview)
  44. Fucked Up The Chemistry of Common Life (Review)
  45. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes (Review / Interview)
  46. Blood Red Shoes Box Of Secrets (Review / Track-by-Track)
  47. Rolo Tomassi Hysterics (Review/ Interview)
  48. Times New Viking Rip It Off (Review / Interview)
  49. Diamanda Galas Guilty Guilty Guilty (Review)
  50. I Was A Cub Scout I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope (Review / Interview)
[close]
All in all, shit list in my eyes. Some great records, just predictable, with way too many dull UK bands who do nothing to excite me (Johnny Foreigner are a prime example).

purlieu

Ah, I knew DiS would do a good job of making a comprehensive list of all this new stuff I can't stand.

   2. Frightened Rabbit The Midnight Organ Fight (Review / Interview)
   3. Cut Copy In Ghost Colours (Review)
   7. Why? Alopecia (Review / Interview)
   8. Friendly Fires Friendly Fires (Review / Track-by-Track / Interview)
  11. Fuck Buttons Street Horrrsing (Review / Interview / Tour Diary)
  12. Foals Antidotes (Review / Interview)
  13. Gang Gang Dance Saint Dymphna (Review / Interview)
  19. Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster (Review) / We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (Review)
  20. These New Puritans Beat Pyramid (Review / Interview)
  21. No Age Nouns (Review / Track-by-Track)
  25. Late Of The Pier Fantasy Black Channel (Review / Track-by-Track)
  27. TV On The Radio Dear Science (Review)
  28. MGMT Oracular Spectacular (Review / Interview)
  29. Wild Beasts Limbo, Panto (Review / Interview 1 / 2)
  30. Atlas Sound Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (Review / Interview)
  34. Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (Review)
  38. Johnny Foreigner Waited Up 'Til It Was Light (Review / Track-by-Track)
  45. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes (Review / Interview)
  46. Blood Red Shoes Box Of Secrets (Review / Track-by-Track)
  48. Times New Viking Rip It Off (Review / Interview)

Fuck off, all of you.  Especially Los Campesinos!

Vitalstatistix

No The Walkmen? Am I the only fucker on the planet who thinks their new album is a masterpiece!?

Don't answer that :(

23 Daves

Quote from: purlieu on December 11, 2008, 06:20:00 PM
Fuck off, all of you.  Especially Los Campesinos!

Yeah, I'm a bit baffled by them myself.  I nearly bought an album of theirs - cheaply - purely because people kept on telling me that I'd "definitely" love them, how "original" they were, how they'd be right up my street, etc.  When I finally listened to some material, I was just bemused.  It's nothing special at all.  In fact, in places it seems to be taking steps back from bands like the Guillemots - it sounds more amateurish.  Is that the point?

They seem to be the name to chuck around for people who need a vaguely underground band to get behind.  I can't help but think that there are plenty more worthy candidates out there.

Part Chimp

Stop posting in this thread, Purlieu. You've already told us you haven't listened to much new music this year and that you "quite like" Coldplay's Viva La Vida. You clearly have listened to a lot of new music this year if you can list that many albums that you don't like. Perhaps you should stick to posting about Facebook skanks you've boned? Anyway, here's my list, and yes some of it has been raved about on Pitchfork, so feel free to tar and feather me at your earliest opportunity.

Portishead - Third
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
Abe Vigoda - Skeleton
High Places - High Places
Hercules & Love Affair    - Hercules & Love Affair
No Age - Nouns
Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See, But Cannot Feel
Black Milk - Tronic
Leila - Blood, Looms and Blooms
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Oneida - Preteen Weaponry
Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements
Squarepusher - Just a Souvenir
Women - Women
Ladytron - Velocifero
Tickley Feather - Tickley Feather
Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Rings - Black Habit
Neon Neon    - Stainless Style
Beach House - Devotion
Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls

Captain Crunch

I think I'm in the same boat as trotsky here - all I could come up with was:

   Black Angels - Directions to See a Ghost, and
   Dozer - Beyond Colossal

I have 2008 issues from Clinic, Satyricon and Taake but I need to give these a few more listens before I make a judgement.

Having said that it's been a great year for finally getting hold of some great old stuff like Bang! Pentagram, Dust, Jeronimo, etc.  I think I'm getting a bit polarised into the whole new music = live / buying music = old stuff thing.   

Cack Hen


EVERY QUOTATION THAT DRIBBLED FROM YOUR MOUTH

LIKE A FINAL

FATAL

LIVEJOURNAL ENTRY

I KNOW I AM WRONG

I AM SORRY

rudi

That Crystal Castles album worth having then?

Oh, also, the Tilly and the Wall CD is £7 at HMV. Total bargain I assure you...

Crystal Castles is good but I find it out-stays it welcome a bit at 51 minutes.

I agree with a lot of Part Chimp's post. Pitchfork's normally one of the first places I go to read about an album anyway, although I just read the rating and the opening and closing paragraphs.

Nice to see Hauschka on that Drowned In Sound list, Ferndorf's brilliant but a search on here revealed not a single hit!

purlieu

Quote from: 23 Daves on December 11, 2008, 06:54:58 PM
Yeah, I'm a bit baffled by them myself.  I nearly bought an album of theirs - cheaply - purely because people kept on telling me that I'd "definitely" love them, how "original" they were, how they'd be right up my street, etc.  When I finally listened to some material, I was just bemused.  It's nothing special at all.  In fact, in places it seems to be taking steps back from bands like the Guillemots - it sounds more amateurish.  Is that the point?

They seem to be the name to chuck around for people who need a vaguely underground band to get behind.  I can't help but think that there are plenty more worthy candidates out there.
The singer's a cunt, as well.  I live with his longterm ex-girlfriend and he's been an absolute twat to her for the two years they've been broken up.  Half of their lyrics are about her, and not all of them in a nice way.  Kind of made me hate them more than the rest.  Ahem.
Quote from: Part Chimp on December 11, 2008, 09:09:33 PM
Stop posting in this thread, Purlieu. You've already told us you haven't listened to much new music this year and that you "quite like" Coldplay's Viva La Vida. You clearly have listened to a lot of new music this year if you can list that many albums that you don't like. Perhaps you should stick to posting about Facebook skanks you've boned?
Sorry, I just enjoy winding people up who like this sort of stuff because the reaction normally is one of disbelief (it mostly strikes me as very hipstery cool music so if I'm a serious music fan I MUST like it).  Admittedly this isn't really the place, but it's a habit I got into on At Ease before I got sick of the place and it's sort of stuck.
You didn't need to be so rude though.  :(

This has been an amazing year for music for me, it just turns out that none of the best records have been from 2008. It's been a year of jazz and AC, for the most part. I've many props to give to NoSleep, Neil, Gonzo and others I've forgotten right now.

Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame/Birds On Fire/Bootlegs
Miles Davis - Jack Johnson/On The Corner/In A Silent Way/Live-Evil
Charles Mingus - Let My Children Hear Music (didn't get it at first but finally, wow!)
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
Cannonball Adderley - Something Else
Animal Collective/Panda Bear/Jane - everything
The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair...?
El Grincho - Alegranza/Folias
Justice - A Cross The Universe (maybe just not enough decent dance music this year, so this has satisfied)
Deerhunter - Microcastle (50% great, 50% same same)

I've only listened to the Women record a few times and I like the sound, just not hearing any particular stand-out tunes yet. I'll give it a few more tries over Winter.

I had been getting massively into, like a few others here, Will Oldham, and having about six albums working on me at once i noticed that one of my emerging favourites of them was from this year! Lie down in the Light has i don't think been mentioned yet. It's very beautiful and life and love affirming and i keep putting it on when i go out walking in the wind and it's not getting old at all yet. I remember looking forward to listening to Tigermilk with similar long lasting feelings and repeated listens and anticipation of every subtle melodic moment as i grew more accustomed to it. Beware, due next year, is apparently made up from the same recording period but with more atmospheric songs. So it is a kind of light album and a simple country return in some ways but if it wasn't from someone so recognised and proven it would be worth going on and on about. He's even better than Glasvegas and MGMT even when he's being so placid. It has a great cover picture too.

chand

Quote from: purlieu on December 12, 2008, 01:02:54 AMSorry, I just enjoy winding people up who like this sort of stuff because the reaction normally is one of disbelief (it mostly strikes me as very hipstery cool music so if I'm a serious music fan I MUST like it).

I'm not sure what you expect, that's just a list of 20 albums you've told to 'fuck off' without explanation, it's hardly skillful winding up is it? Especially when you describe, say, Gang Gang Dance, TV On The Radio and Why? as 'this sort of stuff' which is obviously shit, but Crystal Castles and Okkervil River are spared the wrath. It doesn't matter how hip it is, you could annoy people with any list of things if you just go 'all these are shit'.

TheWizard

Quote from: ThickAndCreamy on December 11, 2008, 05:11:09 PM
10 Friendly Fires
09 Kings of Leon- Only By The Night
08 Mystery Jets- 21
07 Santogold
06 Metronomy- Nights Out
05 Foals- Antidotes
04 Vampire Weekend
03 Glasvegas
02 TV on the Radio- Dear Science
01 MGMT- Oracular Spectacular

It's a shit list, but it's NME so who actually cares.

For Foals, I thought their first tracks were actually reasonable when I heard them last year, although they were nothing too riveting. I honestly thought they may progress into a half decent band if they improved their material however this obviously never came to fruition. After seeing them live at a festival last summer they just seemed average at best, then came the new material. Repetitive, some of the worst lyrics from a band I have heard this year and generally uninspiring shit. Foals could of succeeded as a reasonably good instrumental ensemble, but instead created one of the dullest, laziest and most uninspiring records this year. I wouldn't usually care but they actually seemed like they were going to have at least some potential, but it's now obvious the few songs they have made that were remotely reasonable were merely flukes.


Yeah it's a not that exciting a top 10 (I predicted 7 of these on ilx the night before and my other three guesses were 13, 16 and 17) and MGMT winning by more points than Artics in '06 (over Muse and YYY's) and Strokes in '01 (OK this was beating The White Stripes) says something about their writers they have there. Compared to some years when they got the top ten completely wrong (Look at 11-20 in 2001 then the top 10) or included too many awful albums lower down (2002, 2006) it's not that bad though. I've heard 34 off the record and there's only a bout 10 of those that did nothing for me or were just 'meh'. I don't agree at all with MGMT or KoL being in the top 10 but I'd not begrudge them placing on the list somewhere, even if I wouldn't vote for them.

Generally the EOY list > the coverage through the year  > Stuff on the covers that sell the magazine. I liked the fact Fucked Up got a cover and I'd dearly love them to have given covers to Deerhunter, Laura Marling, and other stuff that was in the top 20 but they don't sell like sticking Mighty Boosh or Oasis on the front.


Totally agree on Foals, last time I saw them I zoned out on everything bar the drummer.

purlieu

Quote from: chand on December 12, 2008, 09:05:34 AM
I'm not sure what you expect, that's just a list of 20 albums you've told to 'fuck off' without explanation, it's hardly skillful winding up is it? Especially when you describe, say, Gang Gang Dance, TV On The Radio and Why? as 'this sort of stuff' which is obviously shit, but Crystal Castles and Okkervil River are spared the wrath. It doesn't matter how hip it is, you could annoy people with any list of things if you just go 'all these are shit'.
Mmm, I suppose in my experience, most of those records are the sort where fans don't come across people who dislike them - I remember meeting a friend for the first time and mentioning 'In An Aeroplane' by Neutral Milk Hotel is probably one of my least favourite albums ever, and she was staggered, because it's the sort of album that tends to be loved by those who've heard it, and not heard by anyone else.  I get this kind of attitude from a lot of people on boards such as At Ease regarding a lot of modern DiS/Pitchfork-loved 'indie' sort of stuff, and it really irritates me, so my time on there made me very cynical towards it.  Not only do I not like it, but I've often come across the attitude that, being a music fan, I'm expected to like it.  I know it's not quite the same around here, but like I say, it's become a bit of a habit being a dick.
Anyway, those records I listed are ones which I've heard/downloaded/bought and genuinely not heard anything worth listening to on.  Nothing stood out to me in any way, and I suppose it does get a bit tedious when they keep appearing on 'best of' lists.  TV On The Radio are probably the worst of the lot for me, because I've tried all of their albums so far because of how highly they're rated, and I struggle to get through them all.  Crystal Castles I haven't heard, actually, although I enjoyed them some time ago when they were noisey and chaotic.  Everyone's said they've got rid of a lot of that and just turned into normal synthpop/electro stuff, which doesn't interest me in the slightest so I haven't bothered listening to it.  Okkervil River I've always quite enjoyed, actually, although managed to completely avoid their new record somehow.  Maybe I'll give it a listen.
I suppose, on the whole, it's probably about time I gave up on a lot of this sort of stuff, but it's a shame because these sort of lists were heavily populated with music I loved only a few years ago - now I have to go to more specialised sites/communities to actually find stuff I enjoy (even then punknews reviewed fucking Frightened Rabbit recently... ugh).

So yes, there's why I was being a dick.  But it's sometimes fun to put a spanner in the works.  I like this sort of discussion, but nobody's going to pay attention if I say "I'm not fond of xxx" without me making a statement by choosing a long list anyway.  I'm quite curious as to what people genuinely love about Vampire Weekend or Times New Viking, and maybe people will say.


Re: Foals.  I saw them supporting The Whip a couple of years back.  Dull.  Cassius whatsit is always on in clubs and I usually make a point of not dancing, it's so annoying.

Vitalstatistix

Talking of Pitchfork, the Readers Poll results are up:

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/148094-2008-pitchfork-readers-poll

Quote01. TV on the Radio: Dear Science
02. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes / Sun Giant EP
03. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
04. Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
05. Deerhunter: Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.
06. Portishead: Third
07. MGMT: Oracular Spectacular
08. Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours
09. M83: Saturdays=Youth
10. No Age: Nouns
11. Girl Talk: Feed the Animals
12. Sigur Rós: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
13. The Walkmen: You & Me
14. Dodos: Visiter
15. Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer
16. WHY?: Alopecia
17. The Hold Steady: Stay Positive
18. Nine Inch Nails: The Slip
19. Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping
20. Okkervil River: The Stand Ins
21. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III
22. Beach House: Devotion
23. Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles
24. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
25. Beck: Modern Guilt

Cack Hen

purlieu currently being trained by finidi

i don't know why you single out atease as representative of the attitude you hate, it's by far the most diverse board out there in terms of music. yes it's indie orientated but for every five threads on animal collective you've got a thread on late 70s austrian feminist punk.

Quote from: purlieu on December 12, 2008, 12:10:33 PM
Mmm, I suppose in my experience, most of those records are the sort where fans don't come across people who dislike them - I remember meeting a friend for the first time and mentioning 'In An Aeroplane' by Neutral Milk Hotel is probably one of my least favourite albums ever, and she was staggered, because it's the sort of album that tends to be loved by those who've heard it, and not heard by anyone else. 

After people raved about it, I checked it out and it seemed no more than okay.

Vitalstatistix

Quote from: purlieu on December 12, 2008, 12:10:33 PM
I'm quite curious as to what people genuinely love about Vampire Weekend, and maybe people will say.

I think VW's debut is a brilliant piece of pop music. What I like about them is their unashamed and unpretentious enthusiasm, intelligence and humour, tied to a fantastic talent for melody.

purlieu

Hmmm, maybe I'll give up this line of questioning actually, because I find a distinct lack of genuine enthusiasm in the records and the melodies do fuck all for me.
I just wish I could hear it!

Quote from: trotsky assortment on December 12, 2008, 03:56:41 PM
After people raved about it, I checked it out and it seemed no more than okay.

I am LITERALLY staggered.

Quote from: purlieu on December 12, 2008, 12:10:33 PM
Mmm, I suppose in my experience, most of those records are the sort where fans don't come across people who dislike them - I remember meeting a friend for the first time and mentioning 'In An Aeroplane' by Neutral Milk Hotel is probably one of my least favourite albums ever, and she was staggered, because it's the sort of album that tends to be loved by those who've heard it, and not heard by anyone else. 

I remember getting a copy of that album and turning it straight off after that "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII love you Jesus Christ" bit at the start, then about a year later I gave it a listen and thought it was alright, but it moved me in the same way I was moved by The Mountain Goats or Wilco, decent enough but hardly earth shattering this band changed my life kind of stuff.

joeyzaza

The Magnetic Fields - Distortion
Top songs + gorgeously murky production. Love, love, love it to bits (Thanks no_offenc!).

The Breeders - Mountain Battles
Not as good as their first two, but still quality.

Large Professor - Main Source
Exquisite golden era beats for aging B-boys everywhere. Reet proper 'ip-'op, not like this new-fangled rubbish. I can even forgive the annoying "hooks".

Q-Tip - The Renaissance
Not worth a 9 year wait, but a pleasing return. It's been steadily growing on me in the last month.

Other than those 4, I don't think any album of new material released in 2008 has earned more than 10 plays. Not a great year.

Paaaaul

Jim Noir - Jim Noir - frigging great