05 December 2008
Albums: 2008
(graphic by: J. Di Gioia)
This wasn’t easy. The albums released in 2008 posed an odd sort of challenge to my taste: “I dare you to love me,” they all seemed to taunt. I’ll admit that at mid-year, I could count the albums that were in serious consideration for this list on one hand. It would take almost another four months before the shape of this list began to really develop, and as always, I was pleasantly surprised at just how much great music I had experienced this year. There were last minute contenders, and some earlier albums that were out of consideration made valiant attempts to win my heart again. In the end, these 20 albums (listed alphabetically without ranking) managed to rise to the top to become my favourite of the year (note: favourite albums, not best albums). I’d love to hear your reactions, opinions, and what your favourite albums of 2008 were, so please feel free to add a comment to this post. Enjoy.
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Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar) For Emma, Forever Ago rewrites the definition of a “recovery album” from this point on. Birthed in a cabin in the woods without an agenda or really a purpose, Justin Vernon’s wood cabin recordings left listeners in awe with the delicateness of it’s songs, and the stark emotional truth of the lyrics. It was the album I never anticipated hearing, but at the end 2008, I can’t imagine the year without it. MP3: Bon Iver “Skinny Love” Buy: For Emma, Forever Ago |
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British Sea Power Do You Like Rock Music? (Rough Trade/World’s Fair) I never understood the Joy Division comparisons, but the angular, epic sweep of many songs on Do You Like Rock Music? most definitely has its roots in classic indie rock of the early 80s. BSP pack this album with hook upon hook, reeling in your senses. It is as grand and powerful as it’s questioning title suggests, and leaves only one possible answer for the listener: “Yes, yes, yes!” MP3: British Sea Power “Waving Flags” Buy: Do You Like Rock Music? |
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Crystal Castles Crystal Castles (Last Gang) Their frenetic live set has become legendary, and furthers the argument that Crystal castles are more than just a studio experiment. Their electro-clash dance music can set both hearts and feet a-dancing, as the near-perfect “Vanished” demonstrates; its solid, thumping rhythms and soaring digital piano melody line made “Vanished” one of my favourite tracks of the year. Crystal Castles was sadly unloved when the Polaris Prize nominations came around this year. It was one of the best Canadian albums of the year. Buy: Crystal Castles |
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The Dears Missiles (MapleMusic/Dangerbird) Do you remember that Replacements song, “Sadly Beautiful”? That’s the best way top describe the latest offering from Murray Lightburn and his life/musical partner Natalia Yanchak. Missiles, like Strangeways, Here We Come chronicles the dissolution of a band through it’s songs without having to hide too much in innuendo and metaphor. With Missiles, Lightburn and Yanchak have made clear that they’re not done with The Dears yet. MP3: The Dears “Disclaimer” Buy: Missiles |
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Department Of Eagles In Ear Park (4AD) If you blinked, you may have missed Department Of Eagles’ sparkling In Ear Park. There seemed to be an initial flood of attention that petered out in the wake of bigger name releases, but for those of us caught under its spell, In ear park never really went away. Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus clearly have moved beyond just being a Grizzly Bear side project with this collection of psych-pop beauties. MP3: Department of Eagles “No One Does It Like You” Buy: In Ear Park |
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Luke Doucet and the White Falcon Blood’s Too Rich (Six Shooter) It arrived with little fanfare in early January 2008, but Doucet’s polished, classic alt-country album has been a mainstay on the QBiM Heavy Rotation list all year. From the triumphant horns of “The Commandante”, to the title track’s barnstorming riffs, this is a solid, stellar rock/pop/country hybrid that sets Doucet in the company of Canada’s finest songwriters. The Cure’s “Love Cats” cover is a nice touch, too. Buy: Blood’s Too Rich |
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Elbow The Seldom Seen Kid (Polydor) 2008 was Elbow’s year and it’s about time. Aside from garnering the Mercury Prize, The Seldom Seen Kid saw Elbow release the most fully realized album of their career—big, stadium filling anthems like “One Day Like This” yearns to be a sing-a-long for the masses; “Grounds For Divorce” is a post-punk gospel revival stomp-along that slaps you silly. They did it without having to change their sound or their approach—they just waited patiently for the rest of us to catch up. Buy: The Seldom Seen Kid |
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Forest Fire Survival (Catbird) Much like Bon Iver, Survival is the type of album that I never would have expected to have on this list. From the little (but growing!) blog/label Catbird Records (of Catbirdseat fame), Forest Fire gave this languid collection of homegrown hymns away for naught, and we’re forever grateful for their generosity. Survival sounds like late-night recordings made in the woods by the ghosts of some long-forgotten village. As one of our readers said at the time of its release, “If you haven’t downloaded this yet, what are you waiting for???” Download: Forest Fire Survival |
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Goldfrapp Seventh Tree (Mute) They went back to the cinematic soundscapes of their debut Felt Mountain, and in the process, Goldfrapp made a downtempo album that stands in stark contrast to their previous disco-dance classic, Supernature. “A & E” was the year’s first reference to hospital emergency wards (Spiritualized were next), and stands as one of the year’s coolest singles. Of all the albums on this list, Seventh Tree was never an obvious choice but after revisiting its 10 tracks, it holds up amazingly well. Buy: Seventh Tree |
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Gramercy Arms Gramercy Arms (Cheap Lullaby) The very last minute-last minute contender, Gramercy Arms beat out another super-group (of sorts) who also trade in classic-sounding pop rock by merit of the consistency with which their self-titled album flows from track to track. As I said when I first mentioned the album a few weeks ago, Gramercy Arms is what it is: pure pop in the same vein as Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, and Big Star. It’s not groundbreaking stuff, but few albums of similar sound have managed to be this good in 2008. MP3: Gramercy Arms “Looking at the Sun” Buy: Gramercy Arms |
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M83 Saturdays=Youth (Mute) I imagine that Saturdays=Youth is as close to John Hugh’s dream soundtrack as any musician as ever come to. Anthony Gonzalez’s latest album could have been released some 25 years ago, given it’s perfect electro-pop power ballads, or even possibly 15 years ago due to it’s swaths of shoegaze fuzz. regardless of influences, in 2008 “Graveyard Girl” and “Kim and Jessie” were originals without peers. MP3: M83 “We Own The Sky (Maps Remix)” Buy: Saturdays=Youth |
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Neon Neon Stainless Style (Lex) Gruff Rhys is better known for being the head Super Furry Animal but his partnership with producer Bryan Hollon (aka Boom Bip) produced the year’s best concept album. Stainless Style is loosely based on the life of automaker John DeLorean, and featured a number of guest appearances by the likes of Har Mar Superstar and The Strokes’ Fab Moretti (he of Little Joy), but it’s charm was the way Rhys’ vocals melded with the polished dance beats Hollon was throwing down. Buy: Stainless Style |
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The Rural Alberta Advantage Hometowns (self-released) Bolstered by being selected as a featured band on eMusic, The Rural Alberta Advantage’s debut album is what one would imagine Arcade Fire would sound like if they came from Regina. Don’t let the name fool you, The RAA are about as rural as an organic urban garden. They are sitting on the precipice of the next wave of Canadian bands who can incorporate indie-rock with what is traditionally referred to as “Canadiana” without sounding like, well, Blue Rodeo. MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage “Frank, AB” Buy: Hometowns |
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Justin Rutledge Man Descending (Six Shooter) Upon initially making this list, I thought having both Justin Rutledge and Luke Doucet would raise a few eyebrows. While they may both be alt-country male Canadian singer-songwriters, the similarities stop there. Rutledge’s album (another concept disc, this one based on the short stories of Guy Vanderhaeghe) was a literate, evocative affair that moved like a dream, one you wish would never end. “Greenwich Time” is destined to be a classic. Buy: Man Dscending |
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Sigur Rós Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (XL) Sigur Rós’s fifth album is a rich tapestry of orchestral arrangements, pure pop moments and the most gorgeous falsetto voice set to music this year. You don’t need to understand Icelandic language to feel the emotional power of Jónsi Birgisson’s vocal performance—it transcends traditional language to communicate in universally understood emotions. Were I ranking these 20 albums, Með suð... would unequivocally hold the top spot. Buy: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust |
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Sons & Daughters This Gift (Domino) I’m a little surprised at how many albums on this list are from the first two months of the year, but I don’t think there was ever any doubt in my mind that This Gift was going to make the cut. I came to this album initially because Bernard Butler produced it, but I ended up falling in love with their frantic, garage rock bluster. The Scottish quartet left behind comparisons to their fellow countrymen Franz Ferdinand and firmly placed themselves among the best indie-rock the UK had to offer in 2008. Buy: This Gift |
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Rae Spoon Superioryouareinferior (self-released) In the first few moments of “Great Lakes”, the opening track on Superioryouareinferior, you know what follows is going to be something very special indeed. Spoon’s debut album of folk-pop musings is laced with flourishes of beeps, squiggles and electro overdubs, but at its heart is a poignant, touching album that defies categorization. Spoon may brand himself “the world’s only transgendered country singer” but he needn’t resort to such sound-bite simplification: his music can speak for itself. MP3: Rae Spoon “Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down” Buy: Superioryouareinferior |
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TV On The Radio Dear Science (Touch And Go) I never “got” TV On The Radio, and in many ways I still don’t. What I do get is that this album, their most accessible, is quite possibly the finest example of what rock music can be when it looks beyond itself. Comparisons to Kid A are not out of the question even though it wasn’t a huge artistic leap from their previous work. In the context of the paradigm-shifting political climate in the U.S. Dear Science was the sound of change, and no band better captured that feeling of transformation this year. Buy: Dear Science |
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Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (XL) They could have become just another forgotten over-blogged “it” band, but in the end, Vampire Weekend proved that the band’s blend of Afro-beat and preppy chic was more than just a one trick pony. Ezra Koenig has proven his mettle as indie-pop’s newest songwriting star, and pretty much guaranteed that whatever he and his band do next, the eyes and ears of the world will be watching. These songs sound as good now as they did back in January. Buy: Vampire Weekend |
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The Week That Was The Week That Was (Memphis Industries) The Brothers Brewis (Peter and David) may have turned heads as Field Music last year, but both embarked on solo projects this year that furthered the siblings as two of the best songwriters working today. Brother Peter stole the show with The week That Was, whose angular post-punk self-titled album was yet another loos concept album about a crime thriller. The only crime Brewis has witnessed this year is not being on more best-of lists. Buy: The Week That Was |
10 Comments
Nice list. Great to see some strong Canadian content making the cut; especially an artist like Rae Spoon. Rae and Justin narrowly missed making the list for me.
Maybe I’m missing an obvious joke, but Regina isn’t in Alberta, so I don’t exactly know what sounding like The Arcade Fire were from Regina means?
Comment by herohill 12.05.08 @ 11:21 am
I just never took to the Beach House album, Boris. I probably didn’t give it a fair chance but it never really caught my interest. I’ll go back and give it a chance on your recommendation.
As for the Regina reference, Hero–I didn’t intend it to tie directly to the band name, but rather that if Arcade Fore had come from the prairies, they’d sound like The RAA. Make sense? Maybe not, it was a late night working on that post.
Comment by Jim 12.05.08 @ 3:44 pm[...] Fellow bloggers are starting their year end lists and here’s one that features multimedia (from a site that needs to update their link for us as “Broken Dial” is a deadzor name) [QBIM] [...]
Pingback by Daily Dose - Friday Linkage | Radio Exile 12.05.08 @ 6:36 pmLoved that you included both Forest Fires (although I think the album really drops off after the first 4 songs) and the RAA.
Surprised that there’s no love for Fleet Foxes… they overdone you think?
Comment by Rob 12.07.08 @ 4:00 pmI liked the Fleet Foxes EP well enough but then suddenly they were everywhere and it all got a bit “overdone” as you say, Rob. I think that’s why I stuck with Forest Fire–they had time to grow on me and build an admiration for the album. As for The RAA–brilliant. How could they not be on the list?
Comment by Jim 12.08.08 @ 5:21 pmWell, I guess I still like Kanye, so that makes me more tolerant than most….
have you heard of the Black Hat Brigade? They’re probably my favourite new band of ‘08 … will have a list up next week…
Comment by Rob 12.09.08 @ 9:24 am[...] label, Saddle Creek. It wasn’t that long ago that the first release of Hometowns got some major QBiM love, but in some ways it feels like [...]
Pingback by Quick Before it Melts » the Ballad of the RAA 07.18.09 @ 8:01 am