It's that time of the year again. If you want to see my list from 2007, have a gander. I wrote up a summary for the albums that I had the energy to write about.
If you need to find the albums, I recommend AlbumHunt.com, ThePirateBay.org, or get into What.cd.
10. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
What do you get when you mix Glasgow with Las Vegas? Probably a drunken gambling degenerate who can't stay off the blackjack table or out of the strip bar. Or maybe you just get a band named Glasvegas. I honestly haven't tried. While this album has been heralded as the UK's answer to Vampire Weekend, it retains more bloated filler and ultimately falls short because of its relative lack of diversity. The layers of indie-noise-pop are involving, and the album is full of the type of emotional lyrics that make a good album great, but it doesn't have the type of staying power that makes you reach for it over and over again. Instead, it's a wonderful listen periodically, which is quite alright with me.
9. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
This is a mixed-bag album to say the least, written shortly after Alexis Taylor's marriage. Where The Warning was a step ahead for Hot Chip, Made in the Dark is a bit of a lateral move. Still, the electronic pop will **** you right in, leaving you excited when a slow, romantic ballad suddenly leaves you wondering if you're listening to the same band. In some respects, it gives it a bit of a lurchy feel, but the ballads ring true and lyrically, this is a very solid album. I think in some ways the music reflects the feelings one gets when in love: you have true romance scattered amongst a variety of the daily grind. The title track is the high-point and the bare minimum listening requirement.
8. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
The unfortunate thing for Vampire Weekend is that they don't know when to release an album. Seriously. In 2007, an album of theirs leaked on the net and gained a ton of momentum amongst reviewers and listeners. Who does give a **** about an Oxford Comma? With momentum on their side, they released this, their first official LP, in January 2008, just late enough to be ineligible for any awards from 2007. Not only is it chockful of catchy indie songs, it carries a certain maturity to it that makes repeated listenings enjoyable.
Here we are in February of 2009, and the general consensus is that Vampire Weekend is played out. When the hype takes over (and it really took over for Vampire Weekend), the appreciation of the album becomes less and less about what is on the album, and more about whether it meets expectations. For me, this was still one of the better albums of 2008, and though many are tired of hearing about them, I look forward to the next Vampire Weekend album.
Note: Keep an eye open for a 7" that they released, with one side Oxford Comma, and the other side the "Insane mix" of Walcott. You can probably find this on your friendly neighbourhood music site, too.
7. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
6. TV On the Radio - Dear Science
5. Santogold - Santogold
4. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
3. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
This is the 5th album from the French electronic pop band. This album takes all the things M83 has done well, including well crafted and rich sonics, it also shows a certain direction and polish that was lacking in past M83 albums. The album cover makes it quite clear that this is another take on the '80s and what it represented to someone just old enough to enjoy it, but still too young to have faced the meltdowns that came with doing coke in the bathroom at a Motley Crue concert.
2. Portishead - Third
This was not the Portishead album I expected at all! I was a big fan of Portishead, starting with their debut album Dummy released what seems like ages ago in 1994. Since then, they've built quite a following amongst those who enjoy the mood of their world famous trip hop. This album was a different sort of adventure: darker, industrial, and, at times, almost eery. Compared to past Portishead works, it is not nearly as accessible and, in many ways, it is the antithesis of pop music. It's an album that requirers you listen to it intently several times, after which the demands of hearing something original wear off and you're left with an album that is nothing short of beauty. For those who care about such things, a cumulative ranking of every album in 2008 ranked by magazines and blogs across the planet has this ranked as the number 1 album of the year.
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant
Surprise, another great album from a Seattle band signed to Sub Pop. I've lumped together two albums from them (Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant, respectively) as they were both released in 2008 and both are simply stellar. This band was somehow able to make a name for itself through Myspace and word of mouth only, which eventually netted interest from Sub Pop. This is as good as music gets, and perhaps most importantly, it's an album that anyone from anywhere can listen to and enjoy without getting bored of it. Any number of influences are readily apparent, with elements of folk, classic rock, pop, and simple emotion coming through the strings of a guitar. Fleet Foxes is not the type of album to grab you by the balls; rather, it gently kisses them until you've reached and sustained an incredible 40 minute climax. You're probably spent, but if you're like me, it's not quite enough, and that's where Sun Giant makes sure you're taken care of before passing out from the sheer pleasure.
If you need to find the albums, I recommend AlbumHunt.com, ThePirateBay.org, or get into What.cd.
10. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
What do you get when you mix Glasgow with Las Vegas? Probably a drunken gambling degenerate who can't stay off the blackjack table or out of the strip bar. Or maybe you just get a band named Glasvegas. I honestly haven't tried. While this album has been heralded as the UK's answer to Vampire Weekend, it retains more bloated filler and ultimately falls short because of its relative lack of diversity. The layers of indie-noise-pop are involving, and the album is full of the type of emotional lyrics that make a good album great, but it doesn't have the type of staying power that makes you reach for it over and over again. Instead, it's a wonderful listen periodically, which is quite alright with me.
9. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
This is a mixed-bag album to say the least, written shortly after Alexis Taylor's marriage. Where The Warning was a step ahead for Hot Chip, Made in the Dark is a bit of a lateral move. Still, the electronic pop will **** you right in, leaving you excited when a slow, romantic ballad suddenly leaves you wondering if you're listening to the same band. In some respects, it gives it a bit of a lurchy feel, but the ballads ring true and lyrically, this is a very solid album. I think in some ways the music reflects the feelings one gets when in love: you have true romance scattered amongst a variety of the daily grind. The title track is the high-point and the bare minimum listening requirement.
8. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
The unfortunate thing for Vampire Weekend is that they don't know when to release an album. Seriously. In 2007, an album of theirs leaked on the net and gained a ton of momentum amongst reviewers and listeners. Who does give a **** about an Oxford Comma? With momentum on their side, they released this, their first official LP, in January 2008, just late enough to be ineligible for any awards from 2007. Not only is it chockful of catchy indie songs, it carries a certain maturity to it that makes repeated listenings enjoyable.
Here we are in February of 2009, and the general consensus is that Vampire Weekend is played out. When the hype takes over (and it really took over for Vampire Weekend), the appreciation of the album becomes less and less about what is on the album, and more about whether it meets expectations. For me, this was still one of the better albums of 2008, and though many are tired of hearing about them, I look forward to the next Vampire Weekend album.
Note: Keep an eye open for a 7" that they released, with one side Oxford Comma, and the other side the "Insane mix" of Walcott. You can probably find this on your friendly neighbourhood music site, too.
7. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
6. TV On the Radio - Dear Science
5. Santogold - Santogold
4. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
3. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
This is the 5th album from the French electronic pop band. This album takes all the things M83 has done well, including well crafted and rich sonics, it also shows a certain direction and polish that was lacking in past M83 albums. The album cover makes it quite clear that this is another take on the '80s and what it represented to someone just old enough to enjoy it, but still too young to have faced the meltdowns that came with doing coke in the bathroom at a Motley Crue concert.
2. Portishead - Third
This was not the Portishead album I expected at all! I was a big fan of Portishead, starting with their debut album Dummy released what seems like ages ago in 1994. Since then, they've built quite a following amongst those who enjoy the mood of their world famous trip hop. This album was a different sort of adventure: darker, industrial, and, at times, almost eery. Compared to past Portishead works, it is not nearly as accessible and, in many ways, it is the antithesis of pop music. It's an album that requirers you listen to it intently several times, after which the demands of hearing something original wear off and you're left with an album that is nothing short of beauty. For those who care about such things, a cumulative ranking of every album in 2008 ranked by magazines and blogs across the planet has this ranked as the number 1 album of the year.
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant
Surprise, another great album from a Seattle band signed to Sub Pop. I've lumped together two albums from them (Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant, respectively) as they were both released in 2008 and both are simply stellar. This band was somehow able to make a name for itself through Myspace and word of mouth only, which eventually netted interest from Sub Pop. This is as good as music gets, and perhaps most importantly, it's an album that anyone from anywhere can listen to and enjoy without getting bored of it. Any number of influences are readily apparent, with elements of folk, classic rock, pop, and simple emotion coming through the strings of a guitar. Fleet Foxes is not the type of album to grab you by the balls; rather, it gently kisses them until you've reached and sustained an incredible 40 minute climax. You're probably spent, but if you're like me, it's not quite enough, and that's where Sun Giant makes sure you're taken care of before passing out from the sheer pleasure.
