Albums of the Year 2008: The Honourably Mentioned

So it’s that time of year again – The End. And what is there to do at the end of the year other than make lists? I didn’t know either so lists were made and here I present them to you. I have decided that I shant put them in a numerical order as it would be, at best, arbitrary. But they must be ordered somehow otherwise they would overlap and you wouldn’t be able to make head nor tail of what was written; so I chose my favourite means of sorting: alphabetically.

So what will happen is that in this here blog post I shall press upon you the albums that are highly recommended but fell just short of being in the best albums of the year. Some time in the future I shall write up the list of my favourite albums of 2008 but, as this one took me so long to write, it shall have to wait a while.

I must add that, of course, I did not listen to every album that was recorded this year so this list should not be considered a holy writ. It is merely the albums that I enjoyed and thought you might too (especially you, Alan).

+/- – Xs On Your Eyes

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I was a big fan of this bands previous album Let’s Build a Fire (2006) so I had high hopes for Xs On Your Eyes. Thankfully I was not disappointed as +/- delivered yet another quality, quirky, reverb-lined, indie-pop record infused with a twist of electronics. It’s a bit mellower than before but that should not be a criticism in my eyes.

Fans of Electric President, Pinback and Death Cab will be welcome here.

31knots – Worried Well

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Worried Well is the 6th album from 31Knots and it is a rather eclectic beast making it fairly difficult to describe. One might use the now fashionable term “math-rock” but one could equally put forward a valid argument for “punk” and/or “prog-rock”. At its core, Worried Well is a guitar album but the wide variety of different instruments that support it is impressive – everything from ragtime piano to jazz horns to samples. It could have turned into an unwieldy monster but thankfully 31Knots have the experience to restrain it.

Arms – Kids Aflame

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The first solo album from Harlem Shakes’s guitarist Todd Goldstein, Kids Aflame is a wonderful lofi indie record. Compared to most of the albums on this list, it’s not very complicated with most of the melody coming from the guitar, peddles, and Goldstein’s voice but these basic tools are welded with skill to create some catchy little ditties. Even when things slow down for songs such as Sad, Sad, Sad there isn’t a boring part of this album.

Balmorhea – Rivers Arms

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This is possibly the most beautiful album of 2008; every song is so delicate you don’t wish to make a noise in case it shatters. The band list their influences as equal parts post-rock (such as Six Parts Seven) and composers (Beethoven, Ludovico Einaudi) and it shows. Few contemporary artists would be able to pull off the fragile balance between the pianos and strings that Balmorhea achieve in every song, and yet there is a definite post-rock sensibility coursing through the album as the guitar playing in The Summer exemplifies.

With a new album already recorded and due for an early 2009 release, Balmorhea could be one to watch for next year.

British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?

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Surprising many, including myself, British Sea Power have crafted one of the best straight up rock albums of the year. By losing some of the jangly guitars and down-right franticness seen prior to DYLRM?, BSP have somehow retained their rather unique sound despite moving into territory more befitting of (shock horror) U2 and other arena-rock bands.

And somehow, it’s not a bad thing.

Cities Over Seas – National Phantom

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Dancing between upbeat electronic based songs to melancholy guitar led ballads with added piano and back again (often in the same song), National Phantom is a hidden gem of an album. It’s shockingly short (only 33 minutes long) but you don’t feel short changed at all.

Deerhunter - Microcastle

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After much prompting from the infamous Richard, I finally got around to listening to Microcastle. I often have the misfortune of confusing Deerhunter and Deerhoof; two very dissimilar sounding bands with similar names.  Microcastle sounds like a Destroyer album only missing a bit of Dan Bejar magic. But I hold Destroyer on the same pillar as roller coasters and triple chocolate chip cookies (i.e. unimaginably awesome rays of sunshine in an otherwise dark and desolate world) so that it’s not as good as a Destroyer album is just a fact of life rather than a criticism.

dEUS – Vantage Point

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Pocket Revolution is one of my favourite albums of all time and I was hoping dEUS would build upon it and blow me away with their new record. Instead they moved in a slightly different direction – fewer slow burning epics like Sun Ra and Bad Timing; more reflection and obscure references. It’s a tighter record but just lacks a little spark that was so evident in Pocket Revolution. Saying all that, it’s still a great album (otherwise it wouldn’t be here) with The Architect (about the life of Buckminster Fuller) and The Vanishing Of Maria Schneider being particular delights.

Evangelicals – The Evening Descends

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The Evening Descends is possibly the most schizophrenic album I’ve ever heard (with the possible exception of Of Montreal records). And that’s a compliment. The lead vocalist Josh Jones can be found talking through multiple characters in a number of songs and Bellawood is actually about a mental institution. If you like Of Montreal or The Flaming Lips then you’ll find plenty to love here.

Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight

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Along with Glasvegas (although I am not comparing the two bands), Frightened Rabbit are currently the toast of the Glasgow music scene. With wickedly clever lyrics and a keen pop-sensibility, The Midnight Organ Fight has deservedly helped them become one of the countries best exports.

Just don’t go see them live at The Arches (underground tunnels weren’t designed with acoustics in mind).

Hot Chip – Made In The Dark

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And now we arrive at the first of three electronic albums. Released at the beginning of the year, it’s a crime how none of the tracks from Made In The Dark made it to the dance floors. Yes, Over and Over is a brilliant tune but surely people have heard it enough? If you’re a fan of Hot Chip’s previous output then you’ll probably like this. It’s smart and catchy but sticks to the proven formula.

Who would have thought a dance album would contain one of the best lyrics of the year? “I’m only going to heaven if it tastes like caramel”

Late Of The Pier – Fantasy Black Channel

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You might like Foals. I’m not going to judge you if you do; it is a free country after all. But Late Of The Pier are like Foals with balls. Big, bass-driven balls. With some added Metronomy. For a mainly electronic album it’s big, it’s brash, and it’s strangely beautiful.

M83 – Saturdays = Youth

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Rounding off this group of three electronic albums is Saturdays = Youth from M83. It continues the fine electro-shoegaze sound we’ve become accustomed along with the hilariously overly dramatic lyrics. “I want to be a part of it / Invisible even to the night / Then I’ll read poetry to the stones / Maybe one day I could be one of them” is a particular favourite.

Maybeshewill – Not For Want Of Trying

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Bearing more than a passing resemblance to their current touring partners 65daysofstatic (who happen to be one of my favourite bands), Not For Want Of Trying is the debut album from Leicester based Maybeshewill. Similar to 65dos, they make heavy use of glitchy, almost heavy metal sounding, guitars and electronic beats. My main criticism is that it sounds so similar to their peers, but that can also be taken as a positive. As a debut album they’ve got the electronic, post-rock sound down to a tee; now we just need to wait for the sophomore album to see if they can create their own sound.

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

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Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, MGMT won’t be new to you. In fact, you’re possibly among the many people who think they are massively overhyped. Fortunately I don’t pay any attention to the mainstream music media so haven’t been subjected to them 24/7 and I still find their album very fresh despite its obvious homages (Queen, Muse, and Mew spring instantly to mind). Possibly the main reason I love the album is that it makes me think I’m in an 80s version of the future ala Blade Runner (only less depressing). All in all, it’s an album full of catchy, dancy silliness and they don’t pretend it’s anything else.

Come back soon when I unveil my top albums of 2008!