Albums of the Year 2008: The

Following on from my previous list of The Honourably Mentioned Albums Of 2008, I hereby grant you access to the albums I enjoyed most last year. As before, the list is ordered alphabetically.

13ghosts – The Strangest Colored Lights

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One of the hidden gems I found last year was this album by the Alabama based band 13ghosts. Probably the most sombre album in this list, the lyrical contents on the songs deal mainly with death and related topics. The music, on the other hand, is much more spritely in places and crosses a wide range of genres with electronic infused folk music standing beside good ol’ fashioned rock’n'roll which is only a stones throw away from some reggae drums. This experimentation of styles prevents the melancholy topics from overwhelming the listener and instead makes it emenently listenable.

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

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OK, so technically this entry is cheating as For Emma, Forever Ago was originally released in 2007 albeit in a very limited fashion. I include it here because a) I only heard it in 2008 and b) it’s my blog so I can do what I like (power trip!). If you follow any of the popular music blogs then undoubtedly you’ve already heard about how fantastic this delectable slice of folkey goodness is. Thankfully, in this instance, the hype really is warranted and I urge everyone to give it a listen.

Camphor – Drawn To Dust

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I heard the song Confidences Shattered (which I have uploaded for you lucky people) and knew I had to have this album. Led by film composer Max Avery Lichtenstein, Camphor features members of other highly regarded bands such as Beirut, Bright Eyes, and Mercury Rev.  In general, the album is a lot more delicate than Confidences Shattered suggests although there are a couple of meatier tunes such as Castaway (of which you really should check out the video). Overall, Drawn to Dust is a beautifully melodic album and it’s a shame to see it hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves.

Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles

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Contrary to what many believe, Crystal Castles do not have an Atari 5200 chip embedded in their keyboard. But the fact that it has been widely reported as a truth either tells you to be wary about the general intelligence of the human population or it tells you what to expect from this album. It’s about as blip-bloppy as is possible without the listener becoming a computer and processing each individual bit as they go streaming past. Although Sidabitball might have something to say about that.

Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours

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Album #2 from Cut Copy is a vibrant patchwork of electronica that, in any other year, would have taken the title of best electronic album of the year (what’s #1 you ask? Have patience my binary friend). The new album is more cohesive than before and has a slight shoegaze feel (reminiscent of another quality album out this year, M83’s Saturday = Youth). Most of the reviews for this album contain words like “breezy” and “refreshing” and, while listening, you understand exactly what they mean; it’s as if the music gently caresses your jaded and weary face.

De Novo Dahl – Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound

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Almost certainly the most upbeat album on this page, Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound is a raucous power pop album that you can’t help but dance along or sing to (ergo accomplishing the goal stated in the album title). While the more uptempo songs are the real highlights of the album (Subject of the Kill, Shout, and Be Your Man deserving shout outs) the slower paced ones also manage to contribute rather than detract from the overall product.

Destroyer – Trouble In Dreams

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To predict that I would like the new Destroyer album is akin to predicting that the sun will rise tomorrow (although some human sacrifices might have to be made every now and then). That’s not to say I’m some kind of mindless fanboy (well, it does actually…), it’s just that I have such faith in Dan Bejar’s ability to craft some of the best indie pop songs that it doesn’t even cross my mind that he will disappoint. And lo I was, in my opinion, absolutely correct! Trouble in Dreams carries on from where Destroyer’s Rubies ended with a much fuller sound than his earlier albums (primarily because Destroyer could now be considered a band). It is a tragedy that, except in small circles, Bejar is not considered one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our generation.

The D’Urbervilles – We Are The Hunters

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At just over half an hour long, We Are The Hunters is cutting a fine line to be called an LP but with songs this good I don’t care. Comparisons have been made with The Killers but I find that borderline offensive as The D’Urbervilles pack more inventiveness into one song than The Killers have managed in three studio albums! It’s also, despite the rather buoyant album cover, a deeply sinister album and gritty; the kind of album I’d imagine Anton Chigurh would have on his iPod.

Frustrator – American Made

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This selection is probably cheating as, as far as I am aware, this album has not actually been released and so cannot be purchased. Fortunately the wonderful Tei Blow (the mastermind behind Frustrator) let me have an advanced copy and I could not resist putting it here. American Made is a rather dreamy album full of “bubbling electronics, homemade acoustic instruments, and drum machines”. I resorted to using Tei’s description as I really could not have put it any better. Once again I’m forced to bemoan the unfair world we live in and I can only hope that, like Bon Iver, Frustrator’s time will come albeit slightly delayed.

Islands – Arms Way

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Ideally I would have liked to upload the 11 minute epic closing track Vertigo (If It’s A Crime) but I feel that lengthy, meandering songs aren’t generally the best way to introduce new bands to people; something to do with people’s patience. So the plan is: a) listen to album opener The Arm which I have helpfully uploaded for you, b) fall in love with Islands, c) buy the album, d) listen to it all and be gobsmaked by its bombastic, orchestral, power pop, e) come back and tell me how awesome Vertigo is, f) go and see them perform live as they put in one of the best live show of any band.

Think you can do that?

Kyte – Kyte

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I first heard of Kyte when I read their description in the Latitude Festival 2008 lineup. They sounded interesting so I popped along to see their set and was pretty amazed. Comparisons to Sigur Rós and Arcade Fire are fairly obvious when you listen to them and, for a debut album, that’s praise indeed! It seems to have divided opinion though, with the Guardian giving an especially scathing review but personally I think Kyte have out Sigur Rós-ed Sigur Rós this year (Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust didn’t really do it for me).

Mother Mother – O My Heart

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I completely missed the release of the first Mother Mother album but I wasn’t so careless this time round; O My Heart is an incredibly funky album which is well deserving of all the praise that’s been lathered on it. I’m still perplexed by all the comparisons to the Shins as I really don’t think they sound very similar. Anyway, if you’re a fan of harmonies or bouncy pop goodness then O My Heart will be right up your street!

Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

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Apologies to the Queen Mary was a fantastically flamboyant debut album and so I had high expectations for Wolf Parade’s sophomore effort. I shall get my criticism out of the way quickly: At Mount Zoomer isn’t as good as its predecessor. Thing is, it’s not far off and so is still a worthy album in its own right. Things feel a bit tighter and darker now but it’s at the expense of the very dynamic sound that made AttQM such a unique sounding album. Still, it’s a great album and worthy of your consideration.