Best of 2008

so like i said in the 2008 thred, this has been a pretty weak year for music. thats not to say it hasn't had some good albums though. these were my highlights:

Distance and Comfort - Ben Kenney
perhaps not as consistent and coherent as Maduro, this is still a so solid cd, and probably features some of the best songs he's ever written. eulogy is as tight and catchy as it was a year ago, and the last quarter of the album is just lush.

Kingdom of Comfort - Delirious
the last album from one of the most significant bands of my lifetime, i'm still a little unsure how i feel about it. obviously there are some excellent tracks on here, although the album as a whole doesn't quite accomplish what i was hoping for i think. having said that, it's still a very good cd and certainly one of the top releases of the year for me.

White Lights EP - Deas Vail
these guys are interesting. i got their debut album in 2007 and i think its great, but there's just something about it i can't love. its a nice album to listen to, and techincally i really like basically every song, but it's not overly satisfying. this ep though showcases a more mature band. recorded in preparation for a full length album next year, this gives me great hope. with their first album being quite light and airy, White Lights comes across somehow as fuller, weightier. if they can produce an album of this quality, i think i might love them.

Acoustics EP - Minus The Bear
a pretty tight ep. the new song 'guns and ammo' is about as good as you could hope for. the old songs, while they sound fresh and perky, they don't really do anything new for the songs, and consistently i think i prefer the electric versions. still, i'll always welcome releases from MtB, and this is a nice addition to their discography.

New Discoveries, Old Music
ok, none of these are that old, all within the last few years, but y'know...

Between the Heart and the Synapse - The Receivng End Of Sirens
y'all probably know i've been caning the life out of this album. i simply can't fault a second of this cd. every note, harmony, transition is so unbelievably tight and spot-on, i just can't bored with it. from serene, beautiful moments to heavy, rock-out riffs to top-of-your-lungs sing-your-heart-out lyrics, every part is utterly and completely engaging. simply one of the best albums my ears have had the pleasure of experiencing.

Act II - The Dear Hunter
just a very special album. i really wasn't sure about it for a while, it just didn't sit right with me. maybe i was put off by the grandeur and theatrics of it. but one day i put it on and it just clicked. suddenly it all made sense, and The Procession proceeded to kick my butt all over the place. apart from The Blood Of The Rose, none of the 77 minutes or however long really feels wasted or unnecessary, it all just flows to create a dark, mysterious but strikingly beautiful world. roll on act III.

A Collision (or 3+4=7) - David Crowder*Band
what's this? a christian concept album? surely not... and yet this is one of the best and most siginificant christian albums i've heard. basically covering any angle of faith there is, and about as many genres as well, this is a sprawling album. on the surface a lot of it really doesn't seem too special, and maybe it isn't, but when you do all the reading surrounding the album, when you find the deeper meanings and the reasons for it all, it just becomes magnificent. i just find this an marvellously uplifting album. on the last track david declares "i'm just trying to make you sing", and he's really good at it.

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the original fashion victim

new sigur ros not for you?

looking at my brand new (and therefore incomplete) itunes, there's no real big hitters released in 2008. we'll see.

portugal. the man releaes an album this year, censored colours. it actually might be my favourite of the 3 so far, though i don't think i've got under it's skin yet. but i'm finding the band increasingly addcitive listening.
a lot of good things i've got into have been recent. the minus the bear EP, for example. but there's not been much things i've actually looked forward to-- the main ones were new Killers, and new Kings of Leon. both bands surprised me with the depth of their last releases. the Killers was a disappointment, though it might be a grower, who knows. Kings has some wicked bits, but overall a step down from the simple wickedness of Because of the Times.

something wicked i've got into recently and only just found is 2008 is good old war. i found out about them through Anthony Green, stalwart of the philrock scene. they're simon and garfunkel style folky pop with harmonies, but more contemporary. i likes them.
not too dissimilar in sound is Annuals, and their album Such Fun. that's pretty much what it is. it's a bit more general in style, a bit sufjan-esk. talking of sufjan-esk, his touring guitarist is a lady who has an album i like under the name St. Vincent, but i just checked and that was out in 2007.

actually, another album i looked forward to and wasn't as good as it could have been is Conor Oberst's solo effort, Conor Oberst. Conor Oberst is Bright Eyes, basically. and we all know how i feel about the BEyes. the solo album is good-- a few super awesome songs which nobody else in the world could dream of writing-- and the rest is just good fun. he's not trying to be super awesome all the way through, that's what bright eyes is for, he's just having fun. so it could have been better, but it didn't want to be. so that's ok.

Music i've got into in 2008? hmmm.

Gatsbys American Dream
Gavin Castleton

all the G's, bascially. i can't remember what else was unheard by me this time last year...

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i'm not detecting cheese. i'm detecting rad.

i actually haven't listened to the new sigur ros enough this year, but from what i remember it didn't really have many standout tracks. gobbledigook is a wicked fun song, but after that the album is perhaps a bit boring. i'll listen again and report back. certainly no Takk... or () though.

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the original fashion victim

i've taken another look at this, and tried myself a very rough top 10. here goes:

1. Conor Oberst- Conor Oberst

man's a genius. half the songs on here, it sounds like he just threw together in half an hour, and i bet he did, actually. they're swtill cool. the full-on songs- theres about three of them- are SO good. not a great album, because it doesn't want to be. still, an obvious choice for 08.

Tune: Cape Canaveral

2. Only Way To Be Alone- Good Old War

glorious harmonies. lovely guitar stuff. yes, that's right, Mr Simon and Mrs Garfunkel had children. this is them. more contemporary, and with less tendency to flutter between pretension and cheesy wotsits.

Tune: Coney Island

3. Such Fun- Annuals

the clue is in the title. indie, folkie, band stuff. singers voice is just the right side of understated, though it's a close thing at times.

Tune: Hot Night Hounds

4. Censored Colours- Portugal. The Man

proggy, classic rock, but in a chordy, psychedelic way rather than the blues/ledzep way of their last album. some great songs. could maybe be higher.

Tune: 1989 [NB was he really born in 1989? they've released three full-length, full-quality albums. a bunch of EPs. they were in some other band before. they sound too mature. ppffft]

5. Only By The Night- Kings Of Leon

i need to give this time, really. it's got some really good stuff, but the overall balance is more ballard-y than rock-y. play to your strengths, boys. that means you, Mister Drummer.

Tune: Crawl

6. Oracular Spectacular- MGMT

Frick, what? this kinda of fun catchy nonsense is meant to grace the bottom of these lists. maybe it's because 2008 was thin, or maybe because this stayed fresh a lot long than it had any right too, but here it is.

Tune: The Youth

7. The Alchemy Index: Vols. III-IV- Thrice

Really dug this for a while. will revisit it soon. a bit try-hard and earnest at times, but hey-- it's philrock. it's gotta be earnest. i hope they carry on in the direction this hints at, because then i could get into them.

Tune: The Earth Isn't Humming

8. Distance And Comfort- Ben Kenney

I expected this to be higher, but when i think about it, i haven't listened to this anywhere near as much as the seven albums above.

Tune: Not Today

9. Avalon- Anthony Green

The fact that this is on an end of year list shows that it has been a thin year. i quite like this alum, but nothing more.

Tune: Dear Child (I've Been Dying To Reach You)

10. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend

This is only on here because i'm annoyed with the killers for forgetting how to be good.

Tune: Oxford Comma

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i'm not detecting cheese. i'm detecting rad.

vampire weekend. are they the guys that had that single recvently that's quite annoying but people have been regardlessly playing the heck out of it? the one with the 'hey hey hey' bit?

i forgot to mention in my previous post in this thread, Sunday! - Tree63 was also one of the albums of my 2008. pretty simple, catchy tunes, but they do it well, and at times, the lyrics are very very good.

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the original fashion victim

that sounds like them. although they were very early 08. i've just remembered the Flight of the Conchords album. does that count?

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i'm not detecting cheese. i'm detecting rad.

technically i guess, although i personally wouldn't consider it.

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the original fashion victim