Albums of the Year...

[Sugar Beats]

Dylan, Mellencamp, Coldplay, Beck and Metallica all cracked the top 10 for Albums of 2008. Gun's n Roses is not far behind, coming in @ #12 with their new release. Has anyone heard anything off "Chinese Democracy?" I was just wondering if it was any good?

[Finch Platte]

Has anyone heard anything off "Chinese Democracy?" I was just wondering if it was any good?

Rolling Stone loved it! What does that tell you?

fp

[Sugar Beats]

Rolling Stone can't be all that bad. They posted Aretha Franklin's "Respect" as # 5 of the 500 all time greatest songs (which is one of my all time fav's) plus list Dylan and the Rolling Stones right up there.

When I was in L.A. recently, The Times also gave Axl's lastest venture a pretty shining review. Who knows? I guess I'll just have to hear something and be the judge!

[Slosh]

Album of the year =

[Shaolin]

Just listened to the new Jimmy Herring "Lifeboat" very tasty.

[kexodusc]

Opeth - Watershed
That was pretty f'n good. Overall, a sub-par year IMO. Nothing really blew me away. Actually I bought less new music this year than any year I can remember since I was maybe 12. Most purchases were pre 1980 Jazz, Fusion, and Classical albums.

Not much I wanted to pay money for.

Open to suggestions though.

[jonnyhambone]

Here's some of my faves from '08...in brief:
Elbow - Seldom Seen Kid
Black Keys - Attack and Release
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That **** Gold
Antony and the Johnsons - Another World ep
DeerHunter - MicroCastle/Weird Era Cont.
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Shearwater - Rook
Josephine Foster - This Coming Gladness
Mtn. Goats - Heretic Pride
+ some...
read my blog post for detailed verbage...

http://jonhamilton.blogspot.com/2008...new-music.html

[3-LockBox]

Loved the Elbow and Bon Iver, but I still say Shearwater's Rook pales in comparison to their Palo Santo ('06).

I've picked up Black Keys and put it down again so many times. I should bite the bullet and get it - I've heard it once.

My list includes the Bon Iver and Elbow, as well as (in no particular order) Nick Cave's Dig Lazarus Dig, Land Of Talk-Some Are Lakes and Throw Me The Statue-Moonbeams, Old '97s-Blame It On Gravity, Kings Of Leon-Only By The Night and TV On The Radio-Dear Science. For something completely different, try Kingfisher Sky's Hallway Of Dreams or Marillion's Happiness Is The Road*.

Honorable mention goes to Ray Davies for putting out a great slice of Americana called Working Man's Cafe.

*I need to add that the Marillion album I listen to is a condensed version I made myself, from their double CD album, which I found to be overly long as is, but great whittled down to 10 or 11 songs at 57 minutes.

[Davey]

I still say Shearwater's Rook pales in comparison to their Palo Santo ('06).

Wrong, striated caracara breath! But I will agree that Palo Santo is a sweet record.

My list includes ... Throw Me The Statue-Moonbeams

Hey yo, I agree again, now this is getting kinda scary. That TMTS record has been spinning around the block at my house a bunch lately. Very cool, even if it does remind me of a bunch of other indie rock favorites moreso than something new. I kinda like the cover too ...
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[bobsticks]

Actually I bought less new music this year than any year I can remember since I was maybe 12. Most purchases were pre 1980 Jazz, Fusion, and Classical albums.

Not much I wanted to pay money for.

Open to suggestions though.

Yeah. There was a very definite point this year when the well ran dry and I remember commenting as such on a thread, maybe by nobody. But, like Kex, most of my purchases were from years gone by so my "Album of the Year may have been purchased by me this year but most likely wasn't released this year. It was a year of "close-but-no-cigars" with no instant classics.

I liked Ten Stones but the experience was damaged by having acquied the seminal Folklore only weeks before. Prolly the same could be said of The Notwist disc.

I liked Roll With It by Eli "Paperboy" Reed and Dig!!Lazarus,Dig!!! was good as well. Titles like Big Blue Ball, Bloodrunk, and Justin Townes Earle's The good Life got a fair amount of play thereby making the cut.

I guess I'd say that the Calexico disc, Carried To Dust, gets my AoY nod just for sheer plays though there too their release with Iron & Wine from a few years back gets the prize for overall playtime...hell, my fave play from "from this year" was released in 1959...



Looks like Davey's living right, eh.

[Davey]

Looks like Davey's living right, eh.

When my frackin' big toe stays out of the action.

Still say the Shearwater and Bon Iver discs are pretty special in any year, but especially in this one. Mostly back catalog for me too, discovered some real gems like that Augie March debut that already seem like old friends.

[3-LockBox]

If I picked just one release as AotY, then its gotta be Elbow - Seldom Seen Kid.

And I have to agree yet again with ya Davey, the Throw Me The Statue debut isn't all that original, but it is very very well done and not at all what I think of in terms of Puget Sound Rock Scene, so it was a pleasant surprise as well. But that album cover musta been taken on a warm summer day...good thing the guy keeps a camera nearby for such an occasion.

[Slosh]

Album of next year =

[Davey]

Album of next year = kinda dull looking picture of a tree and some grass

Hey, I like the deluxe edition artwork better, but it's gonna retail for twice as much as the regular CD at $26. Yikes! Like the last one, this one is on Fat Possum, with the regular CD and also what they term as "a special limited-edition deluxe two-CD package and a double-gatefold double-LP package." The second "Useless Beasts" CD is instrumentals from what I understand.




Seems like the Fleet Foxes debut has gotten all the love in the end of year lists collected at metacritic http://www.metacritic.com/music/bests/2008.shtml (that and Portishead and TV on the Radio). Anyone here on the Foxes bandwagon? Haven't seen much talk. Does have a nice 70's retro kind of sound, kind of the Eagles of the late 2000's, seems very well done, and they are really just kids. Haven't bought it, but do like the sound in small doses, kinda wonder how it would translate to a whole record. Thoughts? Can't remember the last time I listened to the Eagles, though. I remember when I was young I thought they were the worst thing that could happen to rock music, that whole slick west coast type sound, but I actually kind of liked that sound too by some artists, but never much of an Eagles fan

I've a feeling that the one I may be looking back fondest on in the coming years is the Deerhunter record, so much to explore still, and such a nice feel it gives me, over and over. And 2 CDs to choose from, both with their own individual sound and strengths and weaknesses. Yea, I can see that one getting a lot more love in the future, even though it did wind up third image on my rotating best of the year.

BTW, if any of the mods read this, feel free to delete that Heidi Johansen diving photo I posted above that is the cover art on the Throw Me the Statue record 3Lock and I were talking about. It's kinda wide and has served its purpose. Thanks.

[ForeverAutumn]

I've been giving that Fleet Foxes disk lots of love. I would have never equated it with The Eagles though. It reminds me a bit of that bloody cow choir Augie March disk, with a collection of eclectic songs and lots of layered vocals. I think that you'd dig it and should take the plunge.

[Davey]

http://jonhamilton.blogspot.com/2008...new-music.html

Hey, nice little blog spot Jon, as usual, I'm pretty much in agreement with your take, though I think the first Elbow "Asleep in the Back" is so much better than anything they've done since. Just a charmer, has that quality so often left behind after pulling together those early EPs into one very cool record. To be honest, I skipped this latest one, so I may be totally wack on this, but still a nice little spot.

[Davey]

I think that you'd dig it and should take the plunge.

Thanks, I think that's probably good advice. Saw them on a couple of the late night shows, seem to be enjoying the spotlight. Be interesting to see where they go with it. Did you get the EP too? Most people have been saying they are like a matched set. Should've shipped them together. Heard the vinyl sounds pretty nice too.

[ForeverAutumn]

I didn't know that there was an EP. But now that you've mentioned it and I've looked for it, it's half the price for me to d/l it as MP3s since I don't have to pay for shipping that way. I'll think about it.

[3-LockBox]

I like the Fleet Foxes ok, but I am a tad surprised by a lot of the gushing praise. And no, I don't hear The Eagles on any of it. What I do hear is similar to the '70s organic/folk rock thing visited by My Morning Jacket and Midlake a couple of years ago, and more recently by bands like Bon Iver and Shearwater. I've mentioned Fleet Foxes here a few times with backhanded references to the "massive reverb" they used on their debut.

[jonnyhambone]

thanks Davey for the props...I don't know earlier Elbow but will surely dig it. I think this last one was pretty great but I've also seen the collected EP-thing work pretty well...No Age 'Weirdo Rippers' was this and it blows away the lately touted 'Nouns'. An incredible collection of tunes I thought, that is a touch shoegazey but delves into the punk/graffiti/sludge side of it. Makes Nouns seem pretty tame and considered by comparison.

Fleet Foxes didn't make my list though, by all accounts, they should've. I equate them more with Fotheringay or Fairport Convention than the Eagles....a touch of the Byrds maybe...problem is, I would Never want to listen to their album vs. the Notorious Byrd Brothers or the incredible Fotheringay or Unhalfbricking album (both with Sandy Denny). They're pretty good for 2008-versions of this type of sound but they can't touch the stuff they're referencing. Seeing them live? sure, I'd do that, but best album of the year? That was Fairport Convention's Unhalfbricking in 1969.

[3-LockBox]

They're pretty good for 2008-versions of this type of sound but they can't touch the stuff they're referencing. Seeing them live? sure, I'd do that, but best album of the year? That was Fairport Convention's Unhalfbricking in 1969.

If you don't mind the retro thing, and you liked Denny's vocal style, then you may want to check out this band, Kingfisher Sky http://www.myspace.com/kingfishersky, albeit their sound isn't exactly Fairport Convention, but not full-blown metal either. By the looks of their website you'd think they're yet another Within Temptation or Evenessence, but they dabble a little more into folk than others in the genre. Plus, the vocalist always keeps her voice reined in, rather than going the vocal acrobatics that others indulge in. (If you click on the link, check out songs Hallway Of Dreams and November).

[Mr MidFi]

This was the year I totally fell off the indie-hipster bandwagon. Some would say that I was only hanging onto its back-bumper in the first place, but in any event…I’m off. I mean, the Fleet Farking Foxes? Are you f-ing kidding me? Or that bastard love-child of Jim Morrison and Brother Jed who calls himself Woven Hand? Yeesh. And be honest now…how often are you still listening to Vampire Weekend (assuming you ever did)?

In a year without a new release from Wilco, Built to Spill, Spoon, New Pornos, Interpol, The National, Andrew Bird (no, early leaked releases don’t count), or Radiohead (and no, 2007 releases don’t count either), the coolness was severely lacking from this dreary crop. This is the year I went retro, baby, and I’m glad I did. I ended up buying a lot of stuff from 5-to-10 years ago that I’ve always been meaning to pick up (like OK Computer, finally, and You Forgot It in People, and Tomorrow the Green Grass, and The Dears’ Gang of Losers, etc.). But even the new releases I picked up bore a decidedly retro stamp.

So without further curmudgeonly preamble…

1. REM – Accelerate
Far and away the best release of 2008, and their strongest disc in over a decade. If I wasn’t already a ravening fan-boy, I would have loved this one anyway. It’s short, punchy, to-the-point, tuneful and engaging from start to finish. Not sure why it hasn’t gotten more love from the press (or around here), but fark it. I know what I like.

2. Secret Machines – s/t
Harkening back to their first major release, Now Here Is Nowhere, Brandon Curtis and his buds (minus brother Ben) set the phasers to stun and deliver another subtlety-deprived, Floyd-esque sonic supernova. The last track is distastefully plodding and turgid, but the rest of it is full of the kind of un-self-aware bombast that doesn’t even realize it lacks self-awareness (recursive sentence is recursive). Some people hate that sort of thing. But as I said before…fark it. I know what I like.

3. Beck – Modern Guilt
I really like this one the first 2 times I heard it. Then, it started to fade on me. But then something interesting happened…my teenage daughter discovered it and started playing it. And the more she got into it, the more it started to grow on me again. There’s a lot to like here. It’s not as playful or groovy as Odelay, but it’s definitely more enjoyable than Guero or The Information.

4. Steve Winwood – Nine Lives
Thank god, he’s not trying to write hit songs anymore. Instead, he’s channeling his inner coffee house with bongos, acoustic guitars and organ complementing his rich, soulful and unique voice. Is it exciting stuff? No. But it’s a damn fine recording from a master of the craft.

5. Foxboro Hot Tubs – Stop, Drop & Roll
Green Day’s wacky side project was initially released as a download in the waning days of 2007, but virtually everyone considers it a 2008 release (and so do I). There’s not much to explain here; it’s pure Brit-vasion nostalgia. Is it a rip-off of the Kinks, or an homage? The only meaningful answer to that question is “shut up and dance”.

6. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
My biggest disappointment of the year. After their remarkable 2006 disc, Z, and their captivating live set in 2007, and with Jim James’ cameo stealing the show in that “I’m Not There” Dylan movie…I felt certain they were primed for a huge breakthrough masterwork. And sure enough, they pushed the envelope and swung for the epic fences on this one. And when it works, it sounds great (like on the single, “I’m Amazed” and the rollicking rocker “Aluminum Park”). But man, some of it just flat-out sucks. “Highly Suspicious” is the worst moment from a band that I really like since that 10-minute simulated migraine on Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born. No, wait. It’s worse than that.

7. Coldplay/Brian Eno – Viva La Vida
OK, I admit it. These guys have an ear for melody, and I have to respect that. Layer that catchy tunefulness on top of a sturdy structure of Eno sound textures, and you have something that’s not-quite-U2. But this time, it’s the Unforgettable Fire-era U2 that they’re not quite getting right. And so it works for me. Kinda. Sorta. OK?

8. David Bowie – Live in Santa Monica, 1971
Available this year for the first time as an “official” release. What this bootleg lacks in sonic quality, it more than makes up for in performance. This is an all-time great performer and band, at the peak of their abilities, on a legendary tour…and on a particularly good night on that tour. But be advised: it’s a boot. And it sounds like one.

9. Various Artists – Lollapalooza 2008 (downloads)
Your ticket to the big-ass Chicago music fest also entitles you to 25 free d/l’s from iTunes by some of the featured artists. I put them together into an "album" of sorts. An eclectic as hell mix, but some of it is great, great stuff. The Whigs’ “Right Hand on My Heart” is among the better tracks, as is the neo-soul of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings’ “100 Days, 100 Nights”.

10. Elbow – Seldom Seen Kid
This one will undoubtedly move up the list in the coming weeks and months, since I haven’t actually purchased it or even listened to all of it yet. But I’m liking what I’ve heard so far.

The aforementioned Andrew Bird leak has been getting plenty of play around the MidFi household lately, so watch for that one to appear on my 2009 list 365 days from now (and a big thanks, again, to the mysterious leaker who I won’t name).

Happy Holidays, everyone!

[ForeverAutumn]

5. Foxboro Hot Tubs – Stop, Drop & Roll
Green Day’s wacky side project was initially released as a download in the waning days of 2007, but virtually everyone considers it a 2008 release (and so do I). There’s not much to explain here; it’s pure Brit-vasion nostalgia. Is it a rip-off of the Kinks, or an homage? The only meaningful answer to that question is “shut up and dance”.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Huh? What's this? Green Day side project you say? How come I haven't heard 'bout this? I'll have to check this out.

I love a list that makes me laugh. Thanks for the entertaining descriptions.

[3-LockBox]

This was the year I totally fell off the indie-hipster bandwagon.

This is a year I jumped fully on, but that's prolly cuz I jumped off the prog bandwagon. In fact, it could be said that many of my fave prog albums blur the lines twix prog and indie anyway. Yeah, the love affair for Fleet Foxes is somewhat puzzling to me, but it seems like every year a band becomes the darlings of the critics. Like Ryan Adams from a few years ago or Jack Johnson. Ok acts, but not the be-all-end-all.

But then you picked Secret Machines...hhmmm....I like it, but it feels so wrong

I never was much a fan of REM ('80s indie-hipster darlings)

My copy of Radiohead's In Rainbows says 2008 (I didn't do the download thing and opted for the hard copy), so I consider it a 2008 release. I couldn't pull the trigger and say it was one of my top ten albums, but its stayed in MP3 rotation for a long time.

Yeah man, love that Elbow - not a deft tune on the whole album. Sophisticated and adult, like a Peter Gabriel album, only interesting.

And yer spot on reguarding Evil Urges. Its a love-it, hate-it album, from song to song.

“Highly Suspicious” is the worst moment from a band that I really like since that 10-minute simulated migraine on Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born. No, wait. It’s worse than that.

Are you referring to Less Than You Think? if so I agree - I like Wilco's last album, and bits and pieces of their last three, but they should leave the experimental art rock stuff alone, I mean, what are they thinking? Evil Urges is like that - sounding like the artist/s became way too pleased with themselves, thinking anything they do is gold. Its like they caught a bad case of Britches Brewitis. Sometimes you gotta go with the old saying, If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Mr MidFi]

FA -- I'm surprised as hell you don't know about that FHT disc. It's goofy fun, and I know you're a fan. Check it out.

3LB -- I was, indeed, referring to "Less Than You Think." But I'm not necessarily slagging off all of Wilco's noisy/arty stuff. I really love YHF and most of Ghost, actually.